I Solemnly Swear
by Pichuzilla
Summary: She's the worst kind of girl in Kiba's opinion: crass, witty and cynical. She obviously doesn't know her place, loves proverbs, swears like a sailor and has summons fated to be mortal enemies with his clan's canines. How can he survive the year as her unwilling mentor? KibaxOC (Warning: coarse language)
1. That's Kyuushoneko to You!

So, one day, I decided to delete the KibaxOC story I had previously worked on and abandoned, and reconstruct it! This time around, it is my wish that it will generate better feedback and stuff. I know OC stories are generally unappreciated in the unpredictable waters of fandom, but if you try to read with an unbiased eye, hopefully you'll give me your honest opinion and construct an equally honest view on OC.

Disclaimer: Nope. I don't own Naruto or any of the characters you recognize here. All of that belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. I only own the ones that do not appear on Naru Wiki, and of course, the plot used in this fanfiction.

Warning: Coarse language will be a common occurrence throughout this entire story.

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><p>The massive population saw another typical day in Konoha; the sun was unhindered by the complacent clouds drifting lazily, cottoning the sky, a perfect shade of azure.<p>

The friendly sunlight beamed down on whoever was game enough to face it without anything to block it, and a generous amount of the solar rays pooled and spilled all over the vast, fenced area of Training Ground Eight. It was mostly empty, save for a few figures that stood out against the field, colours of black, moss-green and lilac contrasting brightly against the bright celadon that covered the ground.

A russet-haired boy, who looked to be in his mid-teens, shifted impatiently against a tree that he was leaning against. His fingernails clung to the bark of the tree; the ebony leather of his jacket creased as he dragged his hands against the surface of the tree trunk, leaving imprints as they dug deeper. The dark shadow cast by the tree's dense canopy did nothing to mask the look of irritation etched across his face; his animalistic features fierce with impatience.

"Where is she? She said to meet her here early!" his voice came out in irked tones, "Good job in trying to teach us a thing or two about punctuality! Talk about contradictory!"

"Be patient, Kiba," one of his companions replied, pushing up his dark, rounded glasses up his pale nose before his equally pale hand returned into the pocket of the moss-green coat he donned over his dark, high-collared shirt. "Why? Because Kurenai-sensei must have had some important things to tend to, thus being late for our appointment,"

"Easy for you to say, Shino," Kiba muttered darkly, casting a glare towards the unaffected Aburame, "S'not like everyone has three tanks full of patience to spare like you,"

A loud, ragged bark resounded from the large dog that lay on the ground, curled up by Kiba's feet. "See? Even Akamaru agrees," Kiba gestured over to his loyal companion, "Why'd she want to meet us here anyway? A new mission?"

"Kurenai-sensei wanted to show us something... that's what she told me. She said it was very important," Hinata answered in her soft voice, her pale, timid eyes peering out from behind straight-cut violet bangs, "Maybe it's-"

"Hey! Kiba! S'that you with Shino and Hinata?"

The girl froze instantly; her lips parted and her eyes wide open. A red tinge colored her cheeks as her entire being started to quiver. Amusement took over his anger, as a fanged grin appeared on Kiba's tattooed face. "Naruto!"

Akamaru lifted up his shaggy head with interest, providing a few barks of his own.

A blonde waved from the distance through the wire fence, his orange and black attire clashing painfully with the red-clad dawn-haired girl that stood beside him. Naruto jogged through the entrance and towards his friends, a friendly grin on his whisker-scarred face.

"What 'cha up to?" Naruto asked as he gave a friendly wave in Hinata's direction, "Training?"

"I'd like to say that, but we're actually waiting for Kurenai-sensei," Kiba sighed half-heartedly, his expression clouding over now that he was reminded of his teacher's lateness, "Where are you headed?"

Naruto's nostrils flared as he pounded his fist against his chest; he was obviously proud of something, and was bursting to tell them. "I'm on a date with Sakura-cha-!"

A black-gloved fist slammed mid-sentence, into Naruto's face, sending him flying a few feet away from where everyone stood. A very flustered Hinata gasped and ran over to check on Naruto, concerned written all over her face.

"What was that for, Sakura? It hurt!" Naruto yelled as Hinata helped him up. One of Sakura's eyes twitched as she menacingly raised a fist, making Kiba snigger at Naruto's misfortune.

"Don't you dare make up stories! I only agreed to accompany you to Ichiraku because I haven't eaten my lunch yet either!" the medic growled as she pointed an accusing finger at the jinchuuriki.

Naruto pouted sulkily, nodding at Hinata in thanks as the girl poked her fingers together shyly. Shino's glasses gleamed, reflecting the light from the sun as he pushed them up his nose again. "I would like to ask the both of you if you have seen Kurenai-sensei," he said quietly, "Why? Because she was supposed to be here half an hour ago and has yet to make an appearance,"

"Kurenai-sensei?" Sakura tilted her head slightly, before realization dawned on her face, "Ah! I think I know why she's late. It's alright, just wait for her a little bit more. I'm sure she won't be long now,"

"Wait, Sakura-chan?" Naruto mumbled through a hand, "This is rich, coming from someone who nearly mauls Kakashi-sensei when _he's _late for missions,"

Sakura leered menacingly at Naruto, her fist raised again as a threatening aura radiated from her being. Naruto cowered and mumbled a quick apology as he stepped away from her.

Sakura threw a dirty look in Naruto's direction, "If you want to eat, then let's go now," She then turned to the members of Team Kurenai, "I'll see you around!"

"Bye," a sulky and terrified Naruto mumbled as he walked after his friend. "Hey, we're meeting Kyuusho at the ramen stand, right?" his voice got fainter and fainter as he jogged after the medic-nin.

Kiba laughed half-heartedly at the unfortunate blonde, while Shino's frown deepened. Hinata noticed this and asked, "Is something troubling you, Shino-kun?"

"Nothing that a nice cup of tea won't fix, perhaps?" a new voice interjected.

The three friends turned around at the familiar voice, faced with an ebony-haired woman in kimono wrappings who stood behind her subordinates with a hand on her hip.

"Kurenai-sensei!" Kiba exclaimed, a livid expression claimed his features again, "You're late! Are you trying to be like Kakashi-sensei?"

"Perhaps, she was with Asuma-sensei," Shino added quietly, "Why? Because it is common knowledge that-,"

"Alright! Quiet! Zip it!" Kurenai waved her hands in a flustered manner, a red that rivaled her eyes marked her cheeks.

The dark-haired jounin sighed, as Kiba and Shino backed down in their verbal assault. Kiba might have been more open about doing so, but Shino's cryptic sentences tended to be rather… _worse_, since he was able to lace his irritation in his words. And of course, Shino was good with blackmail, since Kiba was his teammate, which meant he got a lot of practice.

Kurenai's gaze flickered over to the Hyuuga heiress, and once again thanked whoever was up there for giving her at least one angelic subordinate, even if the other two were complete devils.

Kurenai sighed. "Well, you know Inuzuka Hana, your sister-," she looked at Kiba, meaningfully pursing her red-painted lips, "-has an apprentice under her, right?"

"Yeah," Kiba nodded, his hand snaking down to ruffled Akamaru's head as the canine lifted its head to receive the affection. A vague picture of a slight, young girl walking beside his older sister came to mind. He had seen her around the Inuzuka compound, but didn't know her all that well. Hana tended to talk about her a lot, but it was usually related to their work as veterinarians.

"It's Akemi Kyuushoneko, right?" Hinata asked, "She's the girl-,"

"-The girl who decided to apprentice under Konoha's most prominent veterinarian after graduating from Ninja Academy," Shino finished, "Why do we know? Because we have seen her working with Hana-san at the Inuzuka compound,"

"Hana told me that the kid's apprenticeship under her was very sudden…" Kiba mused thoughtfully, weaving his fingers through Akamaru's thick fur, "I've never really met her before, but what's what do you have for us got to do with her?"

"You never let me finish my sentences, Kiba," Kurenai muttered, her crimson eyes flashing with an annoyance that rivaled Kiba's. It was obviously something that the teacher and student had in common. "Hana requested that our team to take Kyuushoneko in as a genin under us and teach her for a while. A year, to be exact,"

Kiba quirked an eyebrow, as did Akamaru. "But then isn't she-?"

"Even though she's a qualified genin, she has no experience at all, since she's been apprenticing under your sister for quite a while," Kurenai answered promptly, "So I thought about it for a while. You're all chuunin, but you've never had anyone under your responsibility, so I thought this would be good experience. Of course, we'll still have to work out the details, since I don't want you slacking in meeting your missions quota, and training for your jounin exams,"

"When can we meet her?" The Hyuuga asked softly, causing her two friends to look at their teacher as well.

Kurenai's expression changed to a harassed one at the sight of three inquisitive expressions. "Well, that's the problem," she started to look around, "She's a handful… shall we say… sometimes has her head in the clouds... I told her to meet me at the training field beside this one and well, she wasn't there and I was late as the result of looking for her..."

Shino's head lifted up, his mouth appearing over the upturned collar of his shirt. "I believe I overheard Naruto saying that he and Sakura were going to meet one 'Kyuusho' at the ramen stand."

Kurenai sighed wearily at Shino's comment, while Kiba's eyebrow raised even higher at his friend's revelation. "Let's go," she rubbed a hand tiredly over her face as she started walking towards the gates of the field.

xxx

Various scents intermingled with each other as they wafted into Kiba's nose; he appreciated the savory smell of the sizzling barbecue of the shop they had just passed by three blocks away, and choked at the heavily perfumed air of the drugstore nearby that sold a wide array of bottled scents.

As the headed in the direction towards the ramen stand, the air around the three chuunin hung with anticipation, while Kurenai muttered several incoherent words under her breath, which sounded a lot like, _'Hana owes me!'. _

Kiba wondered what his sister's apprentice was like. Seeing how she had completely forgotten that she had been supposed to meet Kurenai and the rest of her team at the training field, the Inuzuka felt like it was a foreboding of a very eventful year.

xxxx

Ichiraku Ramen was a place that never failed to sprout questions in Kiba's mind. It was no secret that the old man Ichiraku Teuchi was reputed for his famous ramen; it was easily the best in Konoha, if not the world. Why did he choose to continue his business in a small roadside bar that could only seat eight people at most?

"Like the old proverb says; the higher the bamboo grows, the lower it bends," had been Shino's cryptic explanation when Kiba had voiced his questions to his teammate as they neared their destination.

Shino nodded towards the direction of the ramen bar. Kiba could see the black sandalled feet that belonged to Naruto, as well as the familiar high-heeled sandals that Tsunade and her apprentices tended to wear, which meant Sakura hadn't reneged on her promise with Naruto, after all. Next to Naruto's feet were a pair of feet clad in black boots; those, he figured, probably belonged to the new girl.

Akamaru nosed his way in between Naruto and Sakura as the beast pushed its head through the sign-cloth that hung over the bar, covering the backs of patrons as they ate. Kiba could hear a startled cry from Naruto, and a surprised girlish squeal from Sakura as Akamaru barked.

"Akamaru!" an unfamiliar voice that belonged to neither Naruto nor Sakura exclaimed.

"I'll go get her," Kiba decided, "Since Akamaru's gone in already, anyway,"

Kurenai nodded. "We'll just be over here," she gestured to the empty street corner that was a little way from the ramen stand.

The Inuzuka walked towards the ramen bar, and Kiba pushed the screen aside as he entered, ducking his head as he went. A familiar, but repulsive, stench reached into Kiba's ultra-sensitive nose, clashing with the scent of antiseptic that he usually scented from Hana's clinic. An expression of revulsion found its way to Kiba's face as his eyes found the source of the smell that had put him off. The curled up on the ground was a calico-patterned bundle of fur, with tell-tale ears that were pointed like a cat's.

"It's a cat," Kiba muttered with utter distaste as a low growl reverberated from within Akamaru's throat. The canine had noticed the cat as well, and was now reacting with hostility.

"Wow, you noticed. A hundred points to you," the voice spoke again, this time with a less enthusiastic tone, but was instead, sarcastic.

Kiba's head snapped up from glaring at the slumbering feline, and at the owner of the voice. He immediately recognised her. Despite the ridiculously hot climate of Konoha, the girl wore dark clothes. The mark that signified her alliance to Konoha, the forehead protector, was tied around her neck instead of doing its original job of protecting her forehead. Her red-gold hair was thrown in a sensible braid over one shoulder, and the look she was giving him was one that Kiba did not like one bit.

Dark brown eyes met a curious shade of gold. They hit Kiba with a strange sense of familiarity - had he seen them somewhere else before? Maybe it was from those times he'd seen the girl briefly from a distance with his sister at the Inuzuka compound.

"And a hundred points_ from_ you, because you completely stood us up," Kiba growled. "Akemi Kyuushoneko, am I right?"

The girl's eyes narrowed into a suspicious glare; Kiba could tell she was attempting to add up what he had said to her. The wheels seemed to spin in her head, as she continued glaring at him, before finally, her eyes widened and her mouth popped open. "Oh _fuck_."

"Oh fuck, indeed," Kiba raised an eyebrow with a smug smile. There we go.

"Oy, Kiba!" However, Naruto had an expression of displeasure as he turned towards Kiba, interrupting the conversation between the Inuzuka and Kyuushoneko, "Train your dog to behave! He slobbered all over my ramen! Now you have to pay for a new bowl!"

"What's the point?" Kiba shot back at his friend, looking at the bowl placed in front of the blonde, "There's nothing in it anyway!"

"There is!" Naruto insisted vehemently, "The soup!"

"The soup-," Kyuushoneko decided to pipe in, having momentarily forgotten about her earlier realisation, "-is an essential component of ramen which without it would result in a completely different dish!"

"Which would be dry noodles!" Naruto added, closing up their seemingly well-rehearsed argument, "With toppings!"

"Twins, I tell you, twins!" Sakura interjected in exasperation at the unorthodox debate the two had presented, making Kiba sigh.

"I'll buy you the next bowl you eat next time then," Kiba decided to give in; one Naruto was fine, but with Kyuushoneko being a pseudo-Naruto, it was definitely better to retreat. For now.

"What are you doing here, anyway?" the blonde wanted to know, "I thought you had training with Kurenai-sensei?"

"No, we were supposed to _discuss_ training with Kurenai-sensei," Kiba corrected, then jerked his thumb in Kyuushoneko's direction, "And this girl? She was supposed to be there too."

Kyuushoneko squeezed her eyes shut with a wince. "And I completely spaced. Now I'm going to get into so much trouble with Hana-sensei," she poked the bundle of fur next to her feet with a foot, and hissed, "Hey! Kinmaru! Wake up!"

A slight cat with the lucky markings of a calico uncurled from the bundle, and stretched languidly, unsheathing its claws as it did so. Akamaru growled at the slight of its claws, identifying them as a threat. The cat, however, seemed to ignore the much bigger canine, as it looked up at its owner. "What do you want, Kyuusho?"

"Remember what Hana-sensei told us yesterday?"

The feline's ears pricked up at the urgency in the girl's tone. "Vaguely. Let me see...," he paused momentarily, before his eyes widened in an almost comical manner. "Oh, _shit_."

"Oh shit, indeed," Kiba nodded sagely. He had to admit - he had had every intention to yell at the genin for standing them up, but the realisations on both her face and her companion's face were nothing short of amusing.

"Your commentary is completely unnecessary," Kyuushoneko snapped, "Where's Kurenai-sensei?"

"Waiting outside, with the rest of my team," the Inuzuka informed her dryly, "You do realise you're wasting the valuable time of a lot of people?"

"Shit. Naru, sorry, but I have to run," She hastily flung some paper notes and coins onto the surface of the table, "I'll see you tomorrow!"

She hopped off the stool, and dashed outside, with the cat following closely behind her heels. Kiba, without stopping to ask Naruto or Sakura how they knew her, simply nodded. He figured he had time to ask them afterwards, when things had settled with the new addition to Team Kurenai. "Later," he then took off as well.

"You were supposed to meet me at the training field, Kyuushoneko," Kiba could hear Kurenai scolding the genin as he walked towards where his teammates stood. "What happened?"

Golden eyes downcast, with hands clasped behind her back, Kyuushoneko was a perfect picture of remorse. Kiba almost felt sorry for her, but then he recalled the sarcasm she'd spoken to him with, and suddenly he was no longer sympathetic. "I forgot," she mumbled, "It completely slipped my mind."

Heaving a heavy sigh, the jounin leered downwards at the calico seated next to where its owner stood, a terrifying glare marring her beautifully sculpted features. "Kinmaru!"

Was it just the three of them, but did their team leader sound eerily like a livid Tsunade when she herself was angry? Hinata and Kiba exchanged sheepish looks, while Shino looked on with a stoicism that matched the masked ANBU.

The cat, Kinmaru as Kurenai had referred to him as, nervously looked upwards; frightened amber eyes met the glare, making the tom flinch back. "Y-yes, Kurenai-san?"

"You knew that Kyuushoneko was supposed to meet me! Why didn't you remind her?"

"Well...cats _do _have a tendency to be forgetful, you know..."

"You're her partner! Don't make any excuses!"

"Uh..." Kinmaru backed away as Kurenai's glare intensified even more, his ears drooping submissively as his tail curled in between his hind legs.

The glum expression on Kyuushoneko's face disappeared as she seemed to snap back into her normal senses. Her expression became alert, and her eyes widened as Kinmaru slunk behind her feet.

"Kurenai-sensei," Kyuushoneko interrupted, taking a step backwards, away from the seething woman, "Please don't blame Kinmaru. It's my responsibility to remember if I have any appointments,"

Kurenai glared at Kinmaru one last time before looking up. "Alright then, Kyuushoneko," she said grudgingly, casting a glare in the feline's direction, "But next time, _please _remember. If you can't keep it in your head, write it down. It can't be too hard, can it? Since you're already making records of other things, anyway."

The last sentence caught the Inuzuka's attention, as well as both of his teammates. Hinata had a curious expression, while Shino, who had been staring off into the distance with a lack of invested interest, had finally turned his head back to listen to the conversation between their captain and the genin. What had she meant by a record of other things?

The mutual question in their heads was immediately answered with Kyuushoneko's response.

"I solemnly swear," Kyuushoneko nodded, writing down something in a notebook that she had retrieved from her weapons pouch. She held it towards the older woman and held out a pen, "Please sign here,"

Kurenai sighed and tiredly took the pen and quickly scribbled her name on it.

All this time, the three members of Kurenai's team watched the two of them, excluding the extraordinary cat, converse in a slightly unusual manner. Kiba felt rather left out, so he cleared his throat expectantly, intent on reminding their captain of their existence.

Kurenai started a little, as if she just remembered that the three of them were waiting for an explanation of some sort.

"Oh, yes. Everyone, this is Akemi Kyuushoneko, the student you will be sharing," Kurenai introduced, casting a wary look in the girl's direction as she picked up her cat, "Kyuushoneko, these three will be supervising your training for the moment,"

Kyuushoneko blinked at them, a grin on her face. Kiba blinked back, suddenly taken aback by the sight of her teeth. Were they all… pointed?

The Inuzuka closed his eyes and shook his head, before taking another look. Nothing, except normal teeth. Incisors, canines and molars. Nothing out of the ordinary. Akamaru looked up at his master with concern at his strange behavior.

"Why don't you three introduce yourselves?" Kurenai urged.

Hinata took a brave step forwards and shyly introduced herself. "Um... hello there. I'm Hyuuga Hinata. Nice to meet you, Kyuushoneko-san,"

"That makes you Hinata-senpai, right?" Kyuushoneko tapped her fingers against her chin as she studied the well-developed Hyuuga, before her curious eyes landed on the enigmatic shadow that stood beside Hinata. "And you're the guy who buys a lot of honey and sugar at my favorite supermarket! What's your name?"

A dark eyebrow twitched at the girl's statement, as Shino opened his mouth. "I am Shino. Aburame Shino."

"That makes you Shino-senpai, then," Kyuushoneko nodded in satisfaction, before peering at Shino closely. "Do you have cavities?"

There was a brief awkward silence as everyone took in Kyuushoneko's straightforward honesty. Shino took a step backwards, obviously uncomfortable with the breach of personal space. Kiba scratched at his temple with a half-hearted grin; what is she asked him personal questions like that too?

Kiba sighed, and said, "I'm Ki-,"

"Inuzuka Kiba," Kyuushoneko nodded in his direction. "I'm familiar." The look she had on him was unnervingly invasive - it was as if she could see right past his skin and directly into his bones.

"That's Kiba to you. I may be your teacher's brother, but I am nothing like her."

"Oh, I don't expect you to be anything like Hana-sensei," Her tone suggested that she was not taking the Inuzuka seriously. "Don't worry about it."

"What's that supposed to mean!?"

Akamaru cocked his head, sniffing at Kyuushoneko delicately before butting his head into her leg. "Akamaru!" Kiba hissed, "Don't be so friendly towards a stranger!"

Kyuushoneko's face split into another exuberant grin as a hand shot out to stroke the canine's great head. "We're not strangers, are we? Kinmaru and I have played with Akamaru a few times, haven't we?"

he dog barked enthusiastically and gave the girl's hand a few slobbery licks.

When on earth had that happened?! Kiba suddenly recalled the times he had left Akamaru with Hana when he had low-ranked missions that didn't allow Akamaru to tag along - his partner, upon his return, had refused to eat the strict meals that the Inuzuka regularly gave him to maximise his growth. And Kiba had discovered the reason was because someone had been feeding Akamaru too many treats than he himself would've usually given, and his brain made the connection.

"You're the bitch who's been messing with Akamaru's diet!" he accused hotly.

"Kiba..." Shino warned quietly, but the tattooed boy ignored his friend's caution.

"You can't unscramble eggs," Kyuushoneko retorted, eyes narrowing, "And yelling at me about it now is pointless! Who the fuck puts a dog on a diet, anyway?!"

Kiba bared his tapered teeth at the girl. "And who the fuck are you to tell me how I raise my dog?!"

"No arguing, especially on the first day! Good lord, it hasn't even been an hour yet," Kurenai interjected with a loud and testy warning.

Kiba and Kyuushoneko were both locked in a glaring competition - it was clear that the both of them had gotten off on the wrong foot, and there was no sign of them making nice any time soon. Why did she have to be so infuriating? Kiba hated people with sharp tongues and wits that were equally as sharp. His opinion was that they were socially exhausting to deal with, and Kyuushoneko was a dead-on example of what the Inuzuka had no desire to affiliate himself with.

"Let's lay out some ground rules right now, and discuss what we'll be doing over the course of the next year. The both of you, stop your childish argument right now!" Kurenai's stern voice broke through his thoughts. "And watch your language!"

Before Kiba could snarl one last warning at the girl about feeding Akamaru again, Kyuushoneko immediately pulled away from the hard glare she had been focusing at the Inuzuka, and turned her attention towards the jounin.

"What kind of training am I going to do?" Kyuushoneko asked, her face imprinted with the mild curiosity, the hostile argument seemingly forgotten. Kiba found this scene to be exceedingly familiar. Hadn't this happened earlier?

Short attention span? Kiba was unsurprised by the girl's lack of attention - after all, she had forgotten about an obviously important appointment and had instead gone to lunch as if it were a normal day. The Inuzuka knew that targeting the girl's memory was a hypocritical move - he himself had been yelled at only too many times due to having forgotten to run an errand for his mother, Tsume. But he had a feeling that there was something different about the girl's carelessness, and it was definitely going to affect her training.

Whatever, Kiba liked a challenge.

"Well let's see..." Kurenai said, "Hana told me that you graduated from the academy with fairly good results, and you did exceptionally well in the ninjutsu area. You learnt the summoning technique long before your matriculation into the academy, am I right? That's probably why you're better at the basics,"

"But I sucked at Genjutsu and Taijutsu," Kyuushoneko interjected, as she scuffed a boot into the ground awkwardly, "I nearly failed,"

"Yes, I know that. That's why I'm going to teach you how to defend against and dispel genjutsu, even if you have no affinity for casting it. That's why Hana asked me to train you," Kurenai answered, "It's best to work on your strengths. Shino's ninjutsu is better than the other two, so he'll help you find your elemental affinity and teach you how to control it. Kiba and Hinata are excellent taijutsu combatants, so they'll be able to help you in that,"

"Yup," Kiba drew himself up proudly at being mentioned, "Just leave it all to me!"

"Us," Shino corrected coolly as he shifted slightly in his still position.

Kyuushoneko briefly pulled a face at Kiba's proclamation, but quickly turned her attention back to Kurenai, who had an eyebrow raised expectantly.

"Sorry, please do continue," she muttered meekly.

"So we'll focus on your taijutsu and ninjutsu, with a bit of chakra control and manipulation thrown in for the moment. Hinata, I'll leave it to you, alright?" Kurenai turned to look at the shy student, who flushed at the sudden attention she was receiving.

"B-But I'm not sure if I can do a good job…" Hinata meekly trailed off, her pale eyes shifting nervously towards the ground.

Shino frowned slightly, as Kiba sighed. "Kurenai-sensei trusts you, so trust yourself," came the sagely advice that Shino usually gave to boost Hinata's confidence.

"No sense in beating 'round the bush!" Kyuushoneko decided to add in with another wide grin that disturbingly reminded Kiba of Naruto. He once again wondered how they knew each other - and it looked like they were close, too, seeing how Sakura had referred to them as twins.

"So when are we going to start?" Kyuushoneko wanted to know, as all of them began to make their way back to the open field, "Tomorrow?"

Kurenai nodded. "These three usually train together in the mornings at seven. It'd be a good idea for you to join them,"

"So I'm free for the rest of the day?"

"So it seems,"

Kyuushoneko raised her hand and tilted her head slightly forwards and started to back away. "I'll take my leave now, if you don't mind,"

xxxx

"You know, Kiba," said Hinata had commented with timid casualness after they had said their goodbyes to Kurenai, who had declined to have lunch with them due to a previous engagement, which they all knew was a poorly-concocted excuse to cover up the fact that she was going to see her boyfriend, Asuma. "I think Kyuushoneko's not so bad, you know? I think she's really interesting."

"Eh," Kiba gave an unimpressed grunt as he thought back on the girl; she had been rather outgoing - most likely influence from Naruto, along with the coarse language - but for some reason, he had a feeling she was anything but a social butterfly.

He'd known of the girl's existence for two years now, but it just recently came to his mind that she was a rather intriguing subject. True, she was rather tall for a girl her age, being able to stand close to Hinata's height, but she wasn't much to look at; he'd seen girls with curvier shapes, more femininity and appeal than she had displayed in the short time they had met. She had a tongue as sharp as a knife, and swore like a sailor - every parent's worst in-law nightmare. Still, he couldn't shake off his thoughts about her.

Still, despite the lack of physical attraction, Kiba knew that with his _own_ short attention span and hot-headed tendencies, being intrigued by a person was definitely something he needed to pay extra attention to.

_"It's not a matter of liking her on a romantic scale; it's more like being interested as a person, right?"_

Kiba wondered since when had he become one to have such insightful, contemplative thoughts.

Was their relationship going to be like the mortal enemies that were cats and dogs? Kiba didn't know, but with the erratic way Kyuushoneko was behaving towards him, it looked like it was going to take a lot of work for him to learn how to accept her.

A _lot_ of work.

* * *

><p>Constructive criticism and feedback are greatly appreciated!<p>

Luv, Pichuzilla


	2. Cynicism at its Best

Author: I'm very grateful for the moderate feedback I received! You might say I'm overly optimistic, but it's really better than nothing - after all, OC stories aren't very popular with the Naruto fanbase, from what I gather. (Though I'm a big OC story fan myself).

_Special thanks to:_ MidnightCherryBlossoms, my lovely beta who did her job even though she's been busy with school!  
><em>Freehugs09<em>  
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><em>Phantomhawk-writer <em>  
><em>beatlesgirl7 <em>  
><em>ChipmunksRule<em>

Only a small band of readers, but I really cherish each and every one of your support! You're the reason why I strive to better my writing! Seriously, it makes me smile when I see the reviews people take their time to write and send to me.

Disclaimer: Nope. I don't own Naruto or any of the characters you recognize here. All of that belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. I only own the ones that do not appear on Naru Wiki, and of course, the plot used in this fanfiction.

This story will probably veer off the course of the actual Naruto story, but that's to be expected, since this is a fanfiction, after all.

Warning: Coarse language because Kiba and Kyuushoneko are just like that.

* * *

><p>Rude, crass and sarcastic were words that Kiba knew that he'd find in the dictionary with Kyuushoneko's picture.<p>

Now, late was another word to add to that list, because he had already been at the training ground since seven with his friends and fifteen minutes had passed without seeing a trace of the girl.

The Inuzuka sat crossed-legged on a training stump in the same place he was in yesterday, chin resting unceremoniously against a palm as he started his habit of scratching something when he was bored. Hinata leaned against the stump, hands crossed behind her back demurely while Shino stood near them, stiff-backed and unmoving.

"I'm giving her ten more minutes, and if she doesn't show up, I'm gonna break into the Konoha Archives and steal her home address and barge into her house!" Kiba announced out of a sudden, patience finally having worn off. "She's definitely forgotten again!"

Shino's hand snaked up to push his sunglasses up his nose. "That is not advisable, Kiba," he said solemnly, "Why? Because that will be a crime, as you do not have the proper clearance to access such files,"

"Shino-kun is right," Hinata pensively added in her docile tones, "You might get into trouble,"

"Still-!"

"Am I late?" a voice asked breathlessly.

Kiba turned around; a forced smile on his face as a corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily, and his brows furrowed into a half-frown. Kyuushoneko, dressed in the same garb of sensible shinobi clothing as she had donned yesterday save for the change of colours, was panting softly as she slowed down her pace towards the three of them.

"Of _course_ not! You're_ very_ early!" Kiba did nothing to mask the agitation in his voice; he was just about ready to tear down a tree at Kyuushoneko's very rhetorical question.

Kyuushoneko adopted a casual stance; one hand on her hip as a single red-gold eyebrow shot up cynically. "Kiba, you don't have to lie to me you know. You know what they say about dishonesty; start out a liar, and very soon you'll be a thief,"

"A hundred laps around the perimeter of the training ground," Kiba said shortly, grinding his teeth at yet another proverb being thrown at him. Were Shino and Kyuushoneko secretly conspiring together to make Kiba's life some sort of living book of proverbs?

He swore he saw a very, very slight nod of satisfaction coming from the phlegmatic Aburame.

Traitor.

Kyuushoneko's eyes widened in disbelief; her mouth hung open, ready to protest. The gold irises moved around, scanning Kiba with scrutiny that unnerved him as she thought of what to say.

"Cat got your tongue, Akemi?" Kiba decided to ignore the hard, searching look the girl was presenting him with.

"We'll see who gets the last laugh,_ Inuzuka-senpai_," Kyuushoneko's eyes gleamed with a devilish glint that Kiba always saw in defiant children as she emphasised his name with heavy sarcasm, stepping towards the edge and stretching her legs before bursting into a sprint that promptly decelerated into a slow-paced jog.

Talk about anti-climactic.

The enigmatic warning seemed somewhat ominous, sending a shiver down the Inuzuka's back. "Hey! If you want to get in something other than stamina training by the end of the morning, you'd better start running properly!" he called out, a last-ditch attempt to sound like he knew what he was doing.

At the farthest end of the training ground, it was hard to hear Kyuushoneko's reply as she looked in the three members of Team Kurenai's direction, but her lips were moving.

Hinata, having excellent eyesight, reddened as she read the girl's lips, making Kiba and Shino peer at their teammate inquisitively. "What did she say?" Kiba asked for both their benefits.

"S-She s-said to s-stop b-being su-such a t-temperamental b-b-b-_ sorry I can't!_ and t-take th-the st-st-sti-stick o-out y-your a-a-a," Hinata failed to finish explaining what she had seen - her face had turned into a bright shade of cinnabar and her voice had silenced itself.

Kiba's eyes narrowed into a glare; of course he knew what Kyuushoneko had said from the way Hinata was reacting. The diffident Hyuuga was unable to complete her sentence, but Kiba knew exactly what his sister's apprentice meant to say.

He swore he saw a somewhat vindictive smirk underneath Shino's collar.

xxxx

"So, what's first on the agenda?" Kyuushoneko clamoured to know, gung-ho at the prospect of finally starting to relearn the basics of being a shinobi.

After a very loud scolding from Kiba, which had been as rude and coarse as Kyuushoneko's reply to him had been, the genin had decided to stop fooling around and complete her hundred laps, which took her five minutes, the basic time a shinobi would take. That, at the very least, had appeased a very disgruntled Kiba.

"Taijutsu," the three of them answered in unison.

"Hinata is going to be your opponent," Shino explained in his deep, even voice, "Why? Because she is easily the best in taijutsu amongst us all - her mastery of jyuken is incontestable."

At this quiet, unintentional praise, Hinata modestly bowed her head, her long locks of violet hair curtaining the red stains on her cheeks. Kyuushoneko clapped in appreciation for the Hyuuga. "I knew Hana-sensei had a knack for picking out the best teachers for me! I'll have to thank her later,"

"She probably asked Kurenai-sensei because I'm in her team," Kiba muttered unnecessarily, "That way, she can ask me about you if she's worried or something. Typical of my sister,"

"Don't toot your own horn, Kiba," Kyuushoneko scoffed, "As the saying tells us; pride goes before destruction, and once the porridge is boiled, there is not way to turn it back to rice,"

Kiba gaped at the proverbial statement, confused by what she was trying to insinuate."What the fu-,"

"Stop wasting time and start the sparring," Shino cut in, a slight tone of impatience edging his voice.

Kiba glared one last time at the smart-mouthed genin, who in return stuck out her tongue in a childish manner, before joining Hinata in the middle of the grounds.

"So, I'll tell you now, Hinata-senpai, that I got the worst marks in taijutsu in my graduating class," Kyuushoneko wanted to let the Hyuuga know, "So please don't try to go crazy on me, because I'll probably run away screaming into the woods,"

Kiba snorted; at least she was honest enough about that. Akamaru lifted its head sleepily from the ground at the sound of his master's derision.

"I'll try," Hinata promised with a smile, before adopting her familiar stance of jyuken.

Kyuushoneko shoved one foot behind the other, angling her legs so her steadily held her ground as she lifted her hands, fingers slightly curved inwards. For some reason, it disturbingly reminded Kiba of a cat with its claws. Shino, too, noted this, as he pointed it out to his friend as Hinata launched an attack in the other girl's direction.

"She carries herself like a cat would in battle," Shino stated, his dark glasses veiling his thoughts.

"Probably influenced by that cat of hers," Kiba murmured with slight distaste, more intrigued by the match unfolding before him.

Hinata was, as she had promised, definitely going easy on the girl, but a Hyuuga holding back on their jyuken only limited to blocking off the chakra they usually shot out of their palms and reducing the force of their blows. Kyuushoneko was more prone to defensive tactics, stepping backwards often and weaving out of the way with a strangely fluid but clumsy grace that Kiba could only guess was adapted from cats, too.

"It looks more like a one-sided battle to me. She doesn't even look like she's trying to attack back," Kiba decided to put in, unsatisfied by the display Kyuushoneko was showing. Was she really that bad in taijutsu like she vehemently claimed to be? Apparently so.

"Indeed," Shino agreed with a single nod, as a single bug crawled over his cheek, "Even my kikaichu are not reacting the way they usually do whenever there is some sort of combative action taking place,"

Kyuushoneko looked to be under some sort of strain, which was strange considering the fact that all she was doing was dodging and occasionally blocking Hinata's attacks. She hadn't dealt a single offensive blow in the course of three minutes, but yet she seemed to be in pain.

"Stop," Shino suddenly ordered, "Stop the sparring,"

Hinata instantly drew back, and Kyuushoneko relaxed from her defensive stance. A sheepish grin was all the girl had to offer, as she fervently apologized to Hinata for being a terrible opponent.

"I sucked! I know! I'm sorry!" Kyuushoneko had a harrowed expression on her face; her stark-gold eyes were glimmering with frustration that even made Akamaru whimper.

"It's fine, really," Hinata attempted to console the younger girl, "Kiba-kun and I will help you improve on your skills as we go along,"

Shino said nothing, as he and Kiba joined the two girls in their conversation. Even if the bug-user was not intent on saying anything, Kiba felt like he had the responsibility to say something.

"Every dog has its day," he attempted to wisely impart a proverb that he knew very well.

"This dog never had its day when it comes to taijutsu," Kyuushoneko bitterly replied, "Every garden may have some weeds, Kiba. I, for one, am a cornucopia of weeds,"

"Lovely picture," came Kiba's dry answer, "Poetic excuses,"

"Neither counsel nor salt 'till you're asked for it," Kyuushoneko retorted, before whipping around to face Shino. "Shino-senpai, you haven't said a thing. D'you have nothing to say in particular?"

Shino shook his head once, a deep frown still marring his pale, aristocratic Aburame features. A lone kikaichu crawled up his face, but the boy was unaffected by it as he pushed his sunglasses up the bridge of his nose once again. "Today was plenty enough to see your proficiency in taijutsu," he looked down slightly to meet Kyuushoneko's eyes, "You were terrible,"

Kiba had always found one thing about Shino to be extremely infuriating, and that was his bluntness. Kyuushoneko seemed to be unaffected by it, though, as she resignedly sighed and said, "The truth is the safest lie, isn't it? I know, Shino-senpai. That's why I told Hinata-senpai to go easy on me,"

"You used a lot of defensive tactics, Kyuushoneko-san," Hinata piped up softly, her brows creasing in worry that she had caused the girl some pain, "Were my attacks too forward?"

Kyuushoneko shook her head, "Nope. As we live, so we learn; I learnt that you're a very nice person. That could be your Achilles' heel in battle, you know,"

Kiba scoffed, making Kyuushoneko set an evil eye upon him. "If only I had some sort of stupid proverb for this," he returned her look with one of his pointed stares, "You have more weaknesses than Hinata, you know, though Hinata's a really strong fighter in her own right,"

"Obviously," Kyuushoneko made a face at her senior with great distaste, "So now you know. I'm hopeless at taijutsu, and you can bet that I'm no blooming genius in genjutsu either,"

xxxx

Kyuushoneko stretched her legs, happy to be finally released from the tutelage of the three chuunin members of Team Kurenai. Granted, they were all excellent teachers (Yes, even Kiba, albeit the fact he was a complete ass in Kyuushoneko's opinion.) but Kyuushoneko really hated it when it came down to stripping her bare of her defenses and leaving her naked with only her weaknesses. In today's lesson, it was taijutsu.

Kyuushoneko had the resolve to try to learn more offensive attacks, but a fretful Kinmaru always made her turn away from more practice in that area.

"Kinmaru?" Kyuushoneko decided to start looking for her friend in the forest of Training Ground Eight, because she knew Kinmaru liked hiding himself in the dense trees that populated the grounds. It wasn't as dangerous as the ones that the psychotic snake jounin that came to Hana's clinic to volunteer some snake venom as antidotes, liked; it was more mellow and relatively safer, populated by meek wildlife that ate only wild plants and insects.

"Here," came the languid answer of the male calico.

He slid down a tree with an easy grace that came naturally to all felines, pulling his head up as his almond eyes blinked at Kyuushoneko with anticipation. "Well? How was the training session?" he prompted as he allowed her to carry him into her arms as she settled herself against the base of an oak tree.

"Crap, Kinmaru," she deadpanned before sighing again, "Total, utter crap,"

The calico snuggled against the crook of the girl's elbow before looking up again with his large, unblinking eyes. "So, did you tell them, then?"

"When the apple is ripe, it will fall," Kyuushoneko decided it was the best proverb to explain her reasons, "I don't think I should mess with the pace of nature, Kinmaru. My mother always said that doing so could turn the world to shit,"

The tom flicked his tail idly, the tip ghosting across the girl's chin, tickling her skin softly. "You're so paranoid, Kyuusho," Kinmaru snorted, "Stop talking like some old fart - it's weird,"

"Isn't it?" Kyuushoneko grinned at her friend's complaint, "Maybe I should dye my hair white and get a few wrinkles drawn on or something,"

Kinmaru's topaz eyes widened at the girl's suggestion; his expression was scandalized. "No! That would be so ugly! I wouldn't want to be seen with you!"

"Who cares?" Kyuushoneko scoffed, trailing her fingers across Kinmaru's head, and she rolled her eyes sardonically, "You're talking to a cripple here,"

xxxx

A cold shiver went down Kiba's spine when he realized what he'd just heard Kyuushoneko say.

A cripple. Her?

Kiba hadn't meant to eavesdrop; he'd just been taking a walk to see which route was the best to bring Akamaru on for the day's walk. He had happened to pass by the tree that the girl had chosen as a resting spot; ears catching slivers of conversation as they echoed weakly only in the surrounding area. It was no wonder why Kyuushoneko was talking so freely for someone who seemed to cherish a low profile and privacy a lot, the echoes were faint, so only those a few steps away could hear what she was saying.

The Inuzuka let his impulsiveness take over his cautiousness, and within a second, he found himself stumbling out from behind a tree to confront the girl.

"Why didn't you tell us?" he blurted out to a very shell-shocked Kyuushoneko.

Her eyes had widened at the sight of him; her mouth parted in silent shock. "Y-You heard me?"

Kiba realized what he had done - the shocked expression on Kyuushoneko's face was slowly morphing into one of unadulterated rage. Her red-gold brows furrowed together into a frown; her mouth baring teeth with a menacing air. Kinmaru's hackles were raised, but the tom did nothing except watch.

Kiba was not afraid of most things, but if there was one thing he was most afraid of, it was the wrath of an angry female.

This female, currently, had an aura that almost matched with his mother, Tsume, when she was angry.

"You can't expect me to not hear it!" Kiba protested, desperate to shake off some of the blame Kyuushoneko was sure to push on him, "You were talking so loudly! It's not like you're the only one in here, you know!"

Eyes brimming with fury bore into Kiba with such intensity; it felt like there was a hole burning into his face. Kiba tried to match the glare, but found that the guilt ebbing at him interfered with his natural senses for retaliation.

"I would've expected a civilized person to quickly walk away in case they were intruding on a private conversation. But I suppose I shouldn't expect that from you, right?" came a sneer of disdain from the girl.

"It's not like I'm deaf! Obviously I was going to pass by, but after accidentally overhearing what you said, I _had_ to ask you!"

"And why the fuck do you care? You're not even a bloody martyr,"

Kiba's eyes narrowed; he could tell that Kyuushoneko was even more wary of him than she'd originally been. She was a true cynic, the girl was. "Because Kyuushoneko, you are a Konoha shinobi, regardless of your skill, and that makes you my comrade," He wasn't a touchy-feely person, but at the moment, he was feeling very passionate, "And comrades_ help _each other. That is what makes a shinobi was he is. Without companions, we are _nothing_. That's why we can _feel!_"

It was evident that Kiba's words had somehow affected the girl, because she backed down; visibly lowering most of her offenses. Her hard expression had softened somewhat, but still remained in a fixed glare. A cloudy, misty gaze could be momentarily seen in Kyuushoneko's eyes, but it soon passed.

Was she remembering something?

"Mother…" the word tumbled out from between her lips foreignly; obviously only meant for her ears, but Kiba heard her.

"Mother?" he echoed, confused. The boy now wished he'd brought Akamaru along with him - the dog always seemed to make him feel better, even if he was in trouble.

Kyuushoneko glared at him again - her jaw was set in a very grim line. "I suppose you'd like to hear about that too?" she asked in a snarky tone.

"Well, you were the one who brought it up!"

The girl backed down again; her frown seemed more like a childish sulk now. The air was silent for a while, save for the soft rustle of the leaves of the trees that surrounded the two, as both of them were unsure of what to do next - continue the useless argument or simply leave, pretending that nothing had happened?

"What you said about comraderie. My mother used to say that all the time,"

Kiba jumped slightly at the sudden words that came from Kyuushoneko. The girl was staring up at him; her eyes wide and earnest as she spoke. "She used to say it wasn't worth being a person if you could not love another,"

_Used to?_

Kiba now knew he had stumbled across a very sensitive subject, if the girl was using past tense to describe her mother.

"Your mother is…?"

"Dead."

"Oh. Er, sorry to hear that."

"Don't be. That's what they all said when she died, but she never came back, did she?"

Another brief silence ensued; the air tense with awkwardness.

"What happened?" Kiba decided to gamble on her capriciousness and ask the question.

Kyuushoneko responded with an arched eyebrow, as if asking him, 'Really?'. She sighed and drew her legs up, hugging them close to her chest. "Landslide accident - that's how I broke my arms. They've never been the same since."

"But you can still use them, though," Kiba pointed out.

Kyuushoneko rolled her eyes at Kiba's statement of the obvious. "Of course I can. But having a pile of mountain rubble land on your arms? They healed, they're usable, but they're weak and not the same. I can still feel the old pain in them,"

Kiba nodded slowly - he remembered Lee having a similar problem during their first chuunin exams. Lee had to give up his dream of being shinobi for a while, but when Naruto had left saying he'd find a cure, he had returned with it in the form of their Hokage.

"Doesn't the Godaime know about it?"

"Do you think I can seriously trust anyone to fix them, even if it's the Hokage we're talking about?" Kyuushoneko shot him another glare; of course, she was a misanthropist. Why would she trust anyone? "Fuzzy-brows may have had his leg fixed, but that was because he was brave enough to go against the odds. Do you think I'm_ that_ courageous? I'm a coward,"

Kiba didn't know what to say to that. He wasn't familiar with the way to tread on sensitive topics - he was irritable and lacked sensitivity, but he knew that if he tried to encourage her, she would probably explode into another fit of rage and, well, Kiba_ really _didn't want that to happen, as bloodthirsty as he was.

Kyuushoneko sighed loudly, and started to get up. Brushing off bits of earth and grass off her clothes, a hand rummaged through the weapons pouch strapped around her waist and pulled out a black book and a pen.

She flipped it open, and started scribbling into it, before handing it out to the taller teen. "Sign here, please," she muttered with a somewhat resentful tone.

Kiba's eyes fell to the open page of the book.

**Promise between Akemi Kyuushoneko of Konoha and Inuzuka Kiba of Konoha.**

_**Whether it may be torture, a question of a close friend or anything, Inuzuka Kiba shall not divulge any information pertaining Akemi Kyuushoneko's mother.**_

_**Do you solemnly swear?**_

"Honesty is the best policy, and the palest ink is better than the best memory," Kyuushoneko stated as she studied the confused expression on Kiba's face, "If you sign, you're not allowed to talk about what I told you about my mother. If you go back on that, I'll make sure Hell will rain down on you,"

"Right," Kiba debated whether or not to take the pen and sign it - after all, a crippled pair of arms was what held Kyuushoneko back in taijutsu. She had talked about kindness being Hinata's Achilles' heel; her own one was her old pain and reluctance to go against the odds.

As gold eyes bore into him, Kiba realized something as he reread the words written in the book. She had only bound the agreement pertaining to her mother - not her arms. Was it intentional or did she merely forget? No matter, because Kiba found his hand taking the pen and scribbling down his name in a messy script.

"Thank you," Kyuushoneko murmured almost begrudgingly, closing the book, pulling it back to her person.

Kiba caught a glimpse of the cover, and written across it in white letters was the word 'Promises'.

"Bye, then," Kyuushoneko gestured for Kinmaru to follow her, and left.

The Inuzuka wondered if the girl had a reason to keep a book like that._ "I suppose she does. She's not exactly up for trusting people,"_ were his thoughts as he contemplated on it.

Promises. They never meant anything much to Kiba until today.

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><p><strong>FAQ Time!<strong>

**Promise book? Really? **Yes, really. It's a trait that I thought would be good for Kyuushoneko's personality when I first created her a few years back, just like her love for proverbs. Simply put, she's identifiable as the girl who keeps a book of promises.

**What does 'Once the porridge is boiled, there is no way to turn it back' mean in the context Kyuushoneko used it in? **Well, it's a Malay proverb that I learnt in my younger years, so I'm fairly certain I'll be able to expound it right. In Kyuushoneko's context, she was referring to Kiba's eventual destruction if he has too much pride, and the unfixable destruction is the 'porridge' we're talking about here.

Author: So, I do hope you all will continue to support me! Constructive criticism and feedback are greatly appreciated!

Luv, Pichuzilla


	3. Slumming it With the Cats

Author: Here's the third installment of I Solemnly Swear!

First off, I'd like to thank those who viewed the story but didn't leave a message or anything. I'd like to personally thank you, but y'know, I'm no digital footprint tracker. Also, I failed to mention in reply to** shikamaru lover4ever**'s question about Kyuushoneko's name. It literally means Secret Cat, hence the title. Of course, it's a big plot point, but I'll just leave that for later.

_Special thanks to:__ MidnightCherryBlossoms, _my betareader who broke her back making Domo-kun cookies for me!  
><em>Lonetear<em>

Only a small band of readers, but I really cherish each and every one of your support! You're the reason why I strive to better my writing! Seriously, it makes me smile when I see the reviews people take their time to write and send to me. And of course, I try to reply to whoever reviews as soon as I can.

Disclaimer: Nope. I don't own Naruto or any of the characters you recognize here. All of that belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. I only own the ones that do not appear on Naru Wiki, and of course, the plot used in this fanfiction.

This story will probably veer off the course of the actual Naruto story, but that's to be expected, since this is a fanfiction, after all.

Warning: Lots and lots of swearing.

* * *

><p>"Get the fuck out of wherever you're hiding and release me!"<p>

Kiba seethed as he waited for any appearance of Kyuushoneko. He had his arms folded across his chest; his face had a look of impatience as he tapped his fingers against his arms. Akamaru whimpered beside him, his brows knitted together in worried concern. He bent down his furry head, nosing at Kiba's sandaled feet and scrabbling at the earth around them.

"Release you from what?"

The voice made Kiba turn around in exasperation. Kyuushoneko stood behind him with a cheeky grin on her face, carefully sidestepping the seemingly harmless puddle of evaporating water on the ground.

"You and your stupid glue! Unstick my feet, you shit!" Kiba growled, baring his teeth menacingly.

After the little episode with Kyuushoneko accidentally revealing the fact that her arms were crippled and basically useless for combat, Kiba thought that she would be more mellow. When he had reached the usual training ground first, and unintentionally stepped into a puddle of water, presumably accumulated from the light shower of rain from the night before, Kiba knew he was wrong.

Who in fuck's name got up early in the morning to pour a deceptive puddle of superglue on top of the grass?

"You should be honoured! I used my best superglue for that! You could take off your shoes, you know," Kyuushoneko suggested, surveying her successful prank with a satisfied nod, "Akamaru's not stuck, is he? Looks like the dog is smarter than the master. The best thing about a man is his dog, yes?"

"Shut up!" Kiba wished that he could shoot actual kunai out with his eyes as he glared at his junior, "What's up with this anyway? What did I do?"

"One good turn deserves another," Kyuushoneko bent down to touch the already dried glue, "It's the way I return a favor, _Inuzuka-senpai_. Akamaru is one smart canine, by the way,"

The dog stopped his attempt to release his master as he looked up with a bark, panting in delight as Kyuushoneko patted his head.

"Hey! Akamaru! You're supposed to help me, not resign yourself to her!" Kiba was starting to get more irritated, struggling in his position.

"Like I said, take off your shoes, stupid,"

"The glue seeped into my shoes, bitch! My feet are glued to my shoes!"

"Look on the bright side: You're never going to lose a pair of shoes again!"

"What is going on here?"

The two stopped their banter to look over; Shino was regarding his friend's predicament with a raised eyebrow, while Hinata was staring at Kiba strangely.

"It seems that Kiba is glued to the ground, as well as his shoes," A few bugs had flown out of his sleeve, circled around Kiba and joined Shino again.

"Why?" Hinata wanted to know, "Did someone spill glue here?"

"Yep!" came Kyuushoneko's bright confirmation, "I did!"

Kiba swore he saw a mildly impressed look on the Aburame's face as he adjusted his sunglasses. "What is your reason for doing so?"

"Sweet is the wine; sour is the payment. Kiba's now the cat that got killed by curiosity,"

"Elaborate."

Everyone blinked at Shino's short comment.

"I'm impressed you managed to make Kiba fall for such an obvious trap. But then again, he's not a very cautious person."

"Hey!"

xxxx

As it turned out, Kyuushoneko had, in fact, brought a large bottle of nail polish remover to free the Inuzuka's feet. While she dumped the contents onto his feet, she had been snickering to herself all the while, because the smell would stay on him for the rest of the day, which meant a lot of girls he would pass by in the village would probably get the impression that he had been recently painting his nails with lacquer.

"_Maybe they'll ask you to get manicures with them,"_

"_Fuck off!"_

Since the girl had been so eager to set up the prank, Kiba thought he'd return the favor with a hundred punitive laps along the perimeter of the field again.

"What is the 'wine' that Kyuushoneko was talking about, Kiba?" Shino asked, as a scowling Kyuushoneko made her runs around the perimeter, "I do believe there is something that you did to make her deal out such an unorthodox punishment to you,"

Kiba turned his back on Kyuushoneko. "Yesterday, I thought I'd take Akamaru on a walk in the woods here. I was looking for a clear route when I accidentally overheard her conversing with that cat of hers," his tones dropped into a confidential whisper; even if he hadn't promised Kyuushoneko to not tell anyone about her disability, he was not going to take any chances. He definitely didn't want his feet to smell like a walking nail salon again tomorrow.

"You found out something?" Hinata queried softly, dropping her tone to match Kiba's. It was clear that he didn't want the younger girl to overhear their conversation.

"You remember how she only defended herself against you when you sparred yesterday, Hinata?"

The Hyuuga nodded at the memory. "Yes. Does it have something to do with what you discovered?"

"Her arms are handicapped. That's why she can't fight at all,"

Hinata was visibly taken aback, while Shino turned slightly to glance at Kyuushoneko. "That was one of the scenarios I came up with," the Aburame informed them, "It looks like we have a slight hurdle in our path, then. Why? Because a lame shinobi is of no use in the battlefield,"

As harsh as his words sounded, Shino was right. If Kyuushoneko's arm remained as they were, she truly had no future in the combative field of the shinobi.

Was that why she chose to apprentice under Hana after graduating from the Academy? Why had she chosen to pick up her training now? What was her goal?

So many questions, but there was not a single answer that Kiba could come up with.

"Kiba, Hinata and I will leave today's training to you. I would like to go and confirm something with the Godaime," Shino beckoned for Hinata to follow him, "As it seems that you are the most suitable person, I would like for you to try finding out as much as you can from Kyuushoneko. Why? Because Kurenai-sensei entrusted us with the task of getting her trust, and among the three of us, you have the most chance."

"What? But why should I be—?"

Before the russet-haired boy could protest any further, his two friends left the training grounds; Hinata kept glancing back with a hesitant look of apology, but Shino didn't turn back.

xxxx

"-and so, I am, unfortunately, stuck with you,"

Kyuushoneko raised an eyebrow at Kiba's whiny tone. "Why whinge, Kiba? I'm no trouble, am I?"

Kiba shot her a glare, his eyes narrowing into slit. "_'No trouble' _my _ass!_ It's because of _you_ I smell like nail polish remover!" he pointed an accusing finger at the grinning imp, "Stop smiling so smugly!"

Kyuushoneko disregarded the boy's command with an airy wave of her hand. "The gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials. So, what training is it for me today? More taijutsu? Are you going to be my opponent since Hinata-senpai isn't here?"

"What's the point?" Kiba scoffed, "You're obviously going to dodge only. You can't fight, remember?"

Kyuushoneko glowered at Kiba's words. "Oh yes, you're bringing up what we talked about yesterday. How_ tactful_ of you," came her scornful remark.

"You could try therapy," Kiba suggested, ignoring the girl's verbal jab, "It's the muscles that are weak, right? Or is it right in the bones?"

"No! I can still use them just fine!" came the indignant reply, "It's just useless in battle!"

"For a shinobi, it's basically no use at all!"

"The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence!"

"Don't you even try to train your skills in offensive taijutsu?"

"Why should I? But then again, the well-fed does not understand the lean, I suppose."

"Hey! What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

Kiba's hands shot out, grabbing Kyuushoneko by the arm. The girl winced; her gold eyes glared at him with a burning intensity as she struggled to free herself of Kiba's hold. The Inuzuka held on, his grip obviously stronger than what she could repel. As a last-ditch effort to rid herself of him, Kyuushoneko aimed a sweeping low kick, which only served to trip Kiba, caught unawares.

The two tumbled over, crashing onto the ground as they continued their petulant struggle. Akamaru whimpered and barked loudly, attempting to stop his master and the girl from mauling each other.

"You sure can kick," Kiba grunted, pushing her down and neatly avoiding another kick that Kyuushoneko had aimed at him.

"You're a pervert! Get off me!"

"No! And I am not a pervert! I've had better-looking girls chasing after me, kid!"

"A year's difference barely makes you an adult! Go suck a fuck!"

"What did you say? Watch your mouth, you little—!"

A large cloud of smoke suddenly shrouded the two scuffling teenagers, and with a loud poof, they were gone.

"Arf?" Akamaru stared at the empty spot, previously occupied by his master and Kyuushoneko. A comical look of confusion was on the canine's furred face.

What had just happened?

xxxx

"Ow…"

Kiba blinked rapidly as he got up, regaining his consciousness; a strong smell suddenly engulfed his senses, nauseating the Inuzuka. As he attempted to ease the nausea by rubbing his temples and pinching his nose, Kiba wondered what had happened. He remembered wrestling Kyuushoneko to the ground and throwing verbal ammo at each other, and then the next thing he knew, he was here.

Had he been out cold?

His eyes scanned his surroundings, trying to comprehend and get an idea of where he was.

Large violet trees with ebony trunks surrounded the vast clearing he had found himself in, and bushes surrounded the base of the trees. A shade of twilight colored the sky as Kiba looked up — it was dark, but not so much that he couldn't see anything. The ground was soft and grassy, and the normal shade of green.

"Akamaru?" Kiba called out, wondering if his partner had been dragged into the unfamiliar place as well. He tried sniffing out his dog's scent, but couldn't find any trace of it, only greeted with more nauseating smells. Either Akamaru wasn't here, or the smell was so powerful that it masked Akamaru's scent.

Speaking of the smell, Kiba wondered exactly what kind of scent it was. It was strangely familiar, but his confusion jumbled up his thoughts.

Kiba started walking, wishing that he had Hinata with him to navigate his way out of the heliotrope forest. "Ah, shit. I just wanna go home and sleep," he muttered to no one in particular.

"I knew it! You're a mommy's boy!"

Kiba's ears practically perked up at the sound of the annoyingly familiar voice. He quickly turned around to locate the source of the sound.

Kyuushoneko stood on a low branch of a tree, smirking down at him with the same smirk that infuriated the Inuzuka. A large cat easily sizing up to a horse, with pale silver shorthaired fur covered in round, black spots sat upright on another branch, slanted eyes of blue gazing down at the canine-user with clinical interest.

"The boy reeks of dog. I suppose that is how you found him so quickly," he spoke in deep, calming tones, only serving to further agitate Kiba.

"Hey!"

"Ginmaru, that's absurd. You know I can't identify anything by its scent. I don't have a cat's sense of smell," Kyuushoneko retorted, looking away from Kiba, "I asked one of the trackers to locate him,"

Ginmaru yawned, displaying his impressive collection of canines and the subtly curved sandpaper tongue that all cats had. "Although I wished you did - I suppose I shouldn't expect much from you, Kyuusho,"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kyuushoneko's tone was one of indignation as she shot a glare at the phlegmatic feline.

"Hey! Kyuushoneko!" Kiba called out, disgruntled by the lack of attention, "Where is this place?"

"Yakyoku Mori, forest for the nocturnals, though I suppose the name is already explanation enough. One of the landmarks in Matatabi Mori, forest of the cat summons," came her reply, "Kinmaru reverse-summoned me, and thought I had suddenly grown fatter because he was having difficulty in summoning me with his usual amount of chakra since you were trying to kill me at that time and your hold was too strong, so he had his father, Ginmaru, summon me with a larger amount of chakra. That's why you're here, too,"

"Father?" was the only thing that Kiba could question, because the large ocicat bore no resemblance to the calico tom that Kyuushoneko was affiliated with.

Ginmaru smiled, though it looked more like a leer, as he gracefully slipped off the branch and landed on the ground without making a sound. Kyuushoneko followed suit, only stumbling noisily as she landed. Kiba sniggered at her lack of grace, which earned him another furious glare from Kyuushoneko.

"Indeed, I may not look like my son, but that is because he takes after his mother," Ginmaru explained patiently, "My other son, Ginro, however, looks remarkably like me. As for my daughters, they take after their grandparents. A remarkable pair, I daresay."

Kyuushoneko snorted, receiving a withering look from the feline. "Kiba didn't ask for a long-winded explanation about your kids, Ginmaru. He's just lost his ability to speak properly, that's all. He's actually got a dog's nose, y'know. Highly sensitive?"

Ginmaru shook his head in a lamenting manner, before studying a confused Kiba. His ice-blue eyes landed on the red fang tattoos, and understanding dawned across his face. "Ah, an Inuzuka pup! That explains the pallor of his face - he must feel nauseated by the scent of this place,"

"What, he's homesick?" Kyuushoneko lifted a cynical eyebrow, "He doesn't look at all pale to me. He just looks the same, Ginmaru."

"I'm not! He means that this place reeks!" Kiba snapped at the younger girl, before casting a wary look in Ginmaru's direction. "How'd you know I'm an Inuzuka pu- I mean, clan member?"

Ginmaru stared at Kiba for a while; he had what seemed to be a slightly amused look etched on his feline features. "Those markings, of course, and those characteristics. My previous summoner knew an Inuzuka very well - they were good friends," his eyes clouded with a melancholic mist briefly, "I happen to know a canine who is well-versed in the affairs of Konoha, as well. You may know him. Pakkun?"

A vivid image of the sardonic pug came to Kiba's mind at once. "Kakashi-sensei's summon, right?"

"Yes, Kakashi of the Sharingan," the spotted feline nodded sagely, "How is he?"

"Fine, I suppose, though you'd have to ask Naruto. I don't see Kakashi-sensei all the time, but Naruto does,"

"The Kyuubi jinchuuriki? Kyuusho has mentioned him quite often, but as of late, she has been grousing a lot about a particular Inuzuka Kiba,"

Kiba shot a glare at an innocent-looking Kyuushoneko. The girl then nudged the great cat, with a hiss of, "Ginmaru! Stop talking about me like I'm not here!"

"I'm Inuzuka Kiba," Kiba said dryly, casting another look over at an embarrassed Kyuushoneko, "I suppose Kyuushoneko forgot to tell you that,"

"She did," Ginmaru nodded, eyes twinkling with amusement, "Say, it's near dinner time. I insist you stay for a meal with my family, before leaving. Kyuusho, you're staying too, right?"

"I can't leave Kiba here. Shino-senpai and Hinata-senpai will probably think I killed him and dumped his body in a river or something, and Akamaru will maul me," Kyuushoneko sounded rather resentful as she started walking.

Kiba shook his head; he was going to decline, but a hollow feeling gnawed at his stomach - he was hungry, and he wasn't one to turn down a free meal. He decided to follow the cat and Kyuushoneko.

xxxx

"Kyuusho! You slacker! I had to finish moving the boxes all by myself!" were the first words Kinmaru had for his summoner when they exited the forest.

The three had finally left the maze of Yakyoku Mori, only to be greeted by a bustling community of cats. Various rocks lay scattered around, some elevated. Bushes of cattail and catnip grew in dark soil; various massive high-towered huts loomed over them, flanked by various statues of cats. Live cats were everywhere Kiba turned — lounging on roofs of the huts, taking naps on beds of catnip, nosing over the selections of fish for sale…

It was no wonder Kiba felt nauseous.

"It's a human! Kyuusho brought another human!" a small brown cat with tabby stripes exclaimed, "He stinks of dog!"

The kitten was instantly joined by a flock of kittens, all with different shades of fur. Kiba blanched at the sudden intensification of the pungent smell of cats and he wrinkled his nose behind his hand. Ginmaru chuckled, cuffing some of them with a large paw. "Don't be rude, kittens. This is a boy who hails from a very powerful clan of dog-users - show some respect or I'll tell your parents,"

A loud, long chorus of _'Awwww'_s complemented with some _'Yes, Ginmaru-dono!'_s sounded from the kittens as their ears drooped, padding away to join another group of kittens playing with some broken stalks of cattail. Kyuushoneko raised an eyebrow and looked askance at her senior.

"Way to burst their bubble, Kiba,"

Kiba shot her a glare, while Kyuushoneko ignored him to pay attention to a very disgruntled Kinmaru. The calico bared his teeth at the girl. "You're too lazy for your own good, Kyuusho! You promised to help me with my errands, but you just upped and left!" he accused, "Think of all that chakra papa had to use to summon you!"

"Kinmaru, stop antagonizing your summoner. She was looking for her friend," Ginmaru reprimanded, batting his son's head with a massive paw, "You should be ashamed of yourself, for thinking that Kyuusho had suddenly grown in size. I _thought _it was rather strange for her to suddenly gain so much weight in a span of one day!"

Kinmaru's ears flopped over in embarrassment of being scolded publicly by his father; the calico instinctively retreated behind Kyuushoneko's legs. "Sorry," he mumbled, "I won't make the same mistake again,"

Ginmaru shook his head lamentably. "Let's go now - I assume your mother has dinner ready,"

xxxx

Kiba pulled aside the moss curtain hanging in the doorway of the domed hut that Ginmaru had entered. The cats' home was very basic - only a table and a lot of cushions furnished the spacious area Kiba stood in. Kiba suspected it was because cats didn't need much to survive. Kyuushoneko was seated at a low table, and a pair of tabby-striped cats were rubbing their heads against her hands, while Kinmaru was indignantly hissing at them.

"Hey! Aiko! Shinko! Get off! She's not a toy!" Kinmaru yowled as he tried to bat away the purring tabbies.

One of them, the one with darker silver fur made a face at Kinmaru. "Whatever, Kinmaru. Papa says we can share her, right, Shinko?" she turned to her sister, who nodded vehemently in agreement.

"S'alright, Kinmaru. You know you're my best friend," Kyuushoneko grinned at a pouting Kinmaru, before looking up at a repulsed Kiba, "Kiba! Have you met Kinmaru's sisters? These are Shinko and Aiko,"

Kiba raised a dark eyebrow. _Shinko_ and _Aiko_? Now that he thought about it, _Kin_maru and _Gin_ro… "Your parents have an interesting naming sense," tumbled out of his mouth before he knew it.

Kiba tensed, wondering what Ginmaru would say. The ocicat, having circled around a cushion and settled at the table, chuckled at the dog-user's comment. "Yes, we like to be as simple," he said, "Tsubaki wanted their names to have much meaning as possible when she had them, and, well, I was never a cat with much imagination,"

"Sorry," Kiba felt his cheeks prickle with heat; his embarrassment taking over his nausea. Kyuushoneko rolled her eyes and got up, pulling a reticent Kiba over to the low table, pushing him down onto the cushion.

"Ouch!" Kiba glared at his junior, "What was that for?"

"The wise adapt themselves to circumstances, as water molds itself to the pitcher. You, Kiba, are _not_ a wise person," came Kyuushoneko's grating reply.

"Fuck you."

The two she-cats stared up at Kiba, their topaz eyes filled with curious interest - Aiko wrinkled her nose delicately as she pulled a paw over her muzzle. "You stink. You make me sick. Literally," she announced.

Shinko nodded once again in agreement. Kinmaru saw his sisters' interest in the Inuzuka as a chance to leap into Kyuushoneko's lap and claim his victory. Aiko glared at him when she saw her brother gazing at them with a triumphant smirk.

Shinko pointed a paw at her brother, repeatedly jabbing in his direction, as if to imply something. Aiko caught on, and with a paw pointing at Kinmaru as well, she said, "Papa! Kinmaru's got that weird, perverted smile on his face again! He's gonna take advantage of Kyuusho!"

"Lovely friends you have here, Kyuushoneko," Kiba muttered under his breath, speaking only loud enough for Kyuushoneko to hear.

"Why, thank you! You do have manners after all!" Kyuushoneko beamed, "I thought you were just a loud-mouthed fuck who-,"

"Kyuusho! Language!" came a reprimand in the form of a feminine voice, though the words had a distinctly feline accent, just like the other summons Kiba had met.

"Mama!" The three young cats perked up at the sight of their mother balancing a large plate on her head. Tsubaki was nearly the same size as her husband - and she, indeed, resembled Kinmaru, with a beautiful blend of calico patterns on her fur, and the same almond-shaped eyes of amber that the two sisters had also inherited.

"They're no longer kittens, Tsubaki," Kyuushoneko muttered.

"I did not raise my kittens into cats just for them to learn such crass language!" Tsubaki scolded, before turning to Ginmaru, "Is Ginro home yet?"

Ginmaru shook his head, resting his paws on the tabletop. "He told me he wouldn't be coming home again. He says he has training to do,"

"Show-off," Kinmaru muttered under his breath, amber eyes narrowing at the thought of his brother.

Kiba lifted an eyebrow, bent down and whispered, "Brotherly issues, maneki?"

"Don't make me claw you, kid," Kinmaru hissed at him, unsheathing his claws.

"Kyuusho? Could you help me?" a tail pointed to the dish, and Kyuushoneko complied, getting up to take the dish off the she-cat and setting it down on the table.

Kiba's eyes widened at the slices of raw fish carefully laid out on the plate. The pungent smell of the sashimi reached his nose, and it took everything the Inuzuka had to not show any discourtesy. He now felt a whole lot more nauseated.

Kyuushoneko saw this, and grinned with unadulterated glee.

"Kiba! You're the guest of honor today! Why not take the first piece? After all, what you cannot avoid, you welcome!"

* * *

><p><strong>FAQ Time!<strong>

**Does the nail polish remover thing work? **I was working with superglue once when I accidentally spilled it on my favorite pullover. It definitely works.

**What does Yakyoyu Mori stand for? **Literally, it means Nocturnal Forest.

**What about Matatabi Mori? **Catnip Forest.

**Where did Matatabi Mori come from? **My imagination. You see, after seeing Mount Myoboku and the way Naruto interacted with the frogs and toads, I was spurred with an idea to include a bunch of summons into the story to make it more fun. As the toads in Naruto act like humans, I wanted the cats to act more cat-like in terms of actions, so I tried to portray a more realistic version of how quad-pedaled summons live in their world.

**About the names… **Ah yes. Shinko and Aiko mean Heart Child and Love Child respectively. Kinmaru's 'Kin' means Gold, while Ginro means the Son of Silver, which in this case means Ginmaru's son.

**What's 'maneki'? **Google it. It's the name for the lucky cat in Asian cultures. Calico cats are fairly uncommon, and are said to bring luck to whoever owns one.

Author: So I do hope there will be more feedback! Reviews and constructive criticism are greatly appreciated!

Luv, Pichuzilla.


	4. You Pimp, You!

Author: The fourth chapter of _I Solemnly Swear _has come to existence! As usual, thank you to those who viewed but didn't leave a message!

_Special thanks to:__ MidnightCherryBlossoms, _my betareader!  
><em>Shikamaru lover4ever<br>lilmissmindy  
>LittleDragonProductions<em>

Only a small band of readers, but I really cherish each and every one of your support! You're the reason why I strive to better my writing! Seriously, it makes me smile when I see the reviews people take their time to write and send to me. And of course, I try to reply to whoever reviews as soon as I can.

Disclaimer: Nope. I don't own Naruto or any of the characters you recognize here. All of that belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. I only own the ones that do not appear on Naru Wiki, and of course, the plot used in this fanfiction.

This story will probably veer off the course of the actual Naruto story, but that's to be expected, since this is a fanfiction, after all.

Warning: Coarse language.

* * *

><p>After the reverse-summoning fiasco, Kiba had vigilantly avoided sushi restaurants in Konoha for at least two weeks, before an irritated Hana had pulled him into a sushi bar and stuffed his mouth with chicken teriyaki, thus ending whatever sort of sashimi-phobia he had ever since he'd eaten at Kinmaru's home.<p>

Presently, it was a rest day for Team Kurenai, so Kiba found himself aimlessly wandering along the busy lanes of Konoha, with Akamaru faithfully padding alongside him. The Inuzuka remembered with a grimace at how Kyuushoneko had to bring him back to Konoha through the pond that connected Matatabi Mori to their village.

xxxx

**"Fresh air!" Kiba gulped in the clean smell, rid of any cat scent, "I'm alive!"**

**Kiba reassured himself that he would never ever go back to Matatabi Mori, even if someone paid him to do it. It was just not worth the torture his sinuses had to endure. He now started on for home, as his surroundings were already dark and stars dotted the navy velvet canvas that was the night sky.**

**"Wait a minute. Where am I, exactly?" he turned around, trying to recognize his surroundings. He groaned as he realized he, once again, had no clue. "Oh, fuck. How am I going to get home at this rate?"**

**"Mommy's boy!" came a singsong snicker, "Would you like an antacid before reattaching yourself onto your mommy's apron strings?"**

**Kiba's eyes slowly adjusted to the dark, and the glow from the lamps showed Kyuushoneko with a mocking sneer on her face. She stood in the pebbled pathway that led to a small house that resembled the traditional architecture that most homes in Konoha were based upon.**

**"Where am I?" he asked, as he shot her another of his glares. Really, the girl was just too much. First the superglue and nail polish remover incident, then bringing him into a realm of cats and staying for a sashimi dinner?**

**Kiba really, really detested her now.**

**"You're within the vicinity of my house," she informed as she pointed towards a gate built into a wall that bordered the small compound, "Now you can get lost. G'night!"**

xxxx

Yeah.

He really, _really_ detested her.

Kiba narrowed his eyes in distaste at the memory.

His thoughts shifted to his mischievous, merciless junior. A picture of her flipping him off after quipping some stupid proverb when he had tried to get her to lift some weights he had borrowed from Lee, Konoha's resident training aficionado, came to mind, souring his mood.

At least he didn't have to see the imp today.

"Hey, man-bitch!"

Why did he have to go and think that?

Turning around, Kiba was faced with a smug picture of Kyuushoneko grinning up at him. She was out of her usual shinobi attire. Instead, she wore a high-collared sleeveless shirt and dark shorts. Normal civilian clothing, just like him in his gray zip-up jacket and cargo pants. His eyebrow twitched at her nonchalance. "That's Kiba to you," he growled through gritted teeth.

"What's got you wandering through the streets with no goal in mind?" Kyuushoneko asked, ignoring Kiba's refutal as she inquisitively stared at her senior, "Y'know you look less of a bad-ass without your leather jacket. You look a whole sight different without your forehead protector and normal clothes.,"

"Same to you, kid," Kiba retorted, casting an airy wave at her, "Although you never looked at all bad-ass in my opinion,"

"Rain can beat as much as it can against a leopard's skin, but its spots will never wash off," Kyuushoneko stepped back from scrutinizing the boy, "Where are you headed to, on this fine day? Off to see one of your many girlfriends? You pimp, you!"

An elderly shop-owner who had been sweeping up the front of her shop gave a scandalized gasp upon hearing Kyuushoneko's words. Black eyes landed on Kiba with an accusatory glare; she was clearly unimpressed with what she had just overheard from the younger shinobi. Kiba cringed, before looking at the sanguine grin on Kyuushoneko's face.

"Who are you calling a pimp?" As what had been foretold, Kiba's temper had once again flared in Kyuushoneko's presence, "I was just waiting for the time to pass until I'm supposed to go meet Shino and Hinata for lunch!"

"A rolling stone gathers no moss, Kiba," Kyuushoneko nodded gravely, "But in this case, you're probably going to contract some kind of nasty disease if you keep playing around with so many women. Ever heard of AIDS? It's caused by the HIV virus, you know."

A look of indignant disbelief was on the Inuzuka's face; he was furious. His ears were turning red from both embarrassment - because the elderly lady was still listening in to their conversation - and also from anger. "Did you even hear what I just said?"

"Ask no questions and you will hear no lies," Kyuushoneko winked roguishly, flitting her fingers in a salute of farewell, "I'll see you tomorrow!"

"Come back here!"

xxxx

After his encounter with the devil herself, Kiba had taken a long time to convince the elderly shop-owner who had witnessed their conversation that he, in fact, was single and knew how to treat women with respect. By the time he had the woman convinced, it was already time to meet up with his two teammates.

"I am so going to kill her," the russet-haired boy muttered under his breath as Akamaru waited for him patiently in front of a tea-shop.

Akamaru nosed his way into the tea-shop - the owner had known some members of the Inuzuka clan for a long time and their canine companions were thus welcome - careful to make sure that his bushy tail would not knock down anything and Kiba followed suit. A corner table, as Kiba had predicted, was occupied by the enigmatic Aburame and the docile Hyuuga.

Trust _Shino _to choose the shadiest spot he could possibly find.

"So, what are we meeting about?" Kiba queried with his usual salute of a grin and a hand held up.

Shino's hand moved up to his face to push back his dark shades as he said, "Progress report. I would like everyone to sum up Akemi Kyuushoneko's progress today. Why? Because it has already been almost two weeks since we have had her under our tutelage, and I would like to see if any sort of improvement has been made,"

"Oh."

Silence ensued, as Shino pulled out a book and a pen from his satchel, placing it on the table. His pale fingers pulled the cover open and uncapped the pen. "Now, what do you have to say about Akemi Kyuushoneko?"

"Rude. Annoying. Foul-mouthed. Cynical. Smart-ass." the words tumbled out of Kiba's mouth without much thought, "She lives in the residential area where most shinobi clans and families reside,"

It was true, because after the girl had unceremoniously booted him out of her home, Kiba found that the Inuzuka compound was not at all far from where the girl's house was. Shinobi families lived in a certain area of the village, close to the Hokage mansion so they were able to answer the Hokage's call quickly at any time.

"She does?" Hinata was surprised; her eyebrows had visibly lifted beneath her straight-cut bangs.

Shino raised an eyebrow as well, though it wasn't as obvious as Hinata's change of facial expression had been. "And how do you know this?"

"Stuff happened and I was accidentally reversed-summoned along with her. I ended up having to come back to Konoha through the connecting pond in her place," Kiba explained, his nose wrinkling at the memory of his misadventure in Matatabi Mori.

"I see. And how long ago was this?"

"Two weeks ago; actually it happened during the second day of training."

"…I see."

"Anyways, I learnt that she does have a summoning contract with cats - that Kinmaru is her main summon, but she also has a contract with the cat's dad,"

"…Why did you wait for two weeks to divulge such information to us, Kiba?"

Munching on a syrup-glazed dumpling, Kiba failed to see the furious glare his friend was shooting him through his dark glasses. He was too busy enjoying the chewy texture of the treat. "I didn't think it was important. Besides, you didn't ask, and I was trying to get rid of the taste of sashimi in my mouth! It stayed for at least a week! Everything tasted like fish and it was so fucking disgusting!"

Shino let out the tiniest of sighs as he pushed his glasses up his nose. "No matter. What else do you have to say?"

"She likes making me angry, that much I can tell," Kiba bit into another dumpling with gusto, "But I don't know why I keep reacting the way I do, though."

"I do not care to hear about your temper problems."

"I know," A corner of Kiba's eye twitched in annoyance. Did Shino have to be so blunt about some things? Why was it that he liked to be cryptic about the important things, and not the unimportant ones? "So, I forgot to ask - what did you discuss with the Godaime?"

"Shino-kun and I had a discussion about Kyuushoneko's disability with Tsunade-sama, and she told us that it was a landslide accident that crippled them," Hinata said softly, putting in a word into the conversation for the first time, "She presented us with some alternatives to help her arms get better, but apparently Kyuushoneko-san has been turning a deaf ear to them,"

"I'm not surprised. She's a cynic. Why do you think she has that Promise book of hers?"

"Promise book?" Shino's tone was one of mild interest, "Are you talking about that black book she had Kurenai-sensei write in when we first met her?"

"That same one," Kiba nodded as he tossed a dumpling into Akamaru's waiting mouth. The canine gobbled it down greedily, barking in appreciation. "She actually takes it seriously. She basically threatened to castrate me if I went back on a promise I made her,"

"You made a promise with her, Kiba-kun?" Hinata's lavender eyes widened considerably, "What was it about?"

Fuck.

Kiba berated himself to letting that fact slip, because he knew that both of them would want to know what the two of them had talked about. "A promise that is made can't be broken, Hinata. I swore I'd keep it," he shot his friend an apologetic look.

Hinata, however, shook her head with a smile. "It's okay, Kiba-kun. Being loyal to your friends is a good thing."

"Indeed," Shino nodded once, "Now, let us go through her actual progress in terms of shinobi training."

As Shino's quiet voice fell into a background murmur, Kiba contemplated on Hinata's words to him. Them? Friends? Was Kyuushoneko a friend to him? Or more importantly, was he a friend to her? No way.

Sure, the girl liked targeting Kiba whenever it came to practical jokes, especially because he always dealt out punitive assignments during training as revenge. It was a never-ending cycle: prank then laps, prank then laps, prank and then more laps. She treated him with more cruel familiarity than she did with Shino and Hinata, something which the Inuzuka wasn't sure whether was a good thing or not.

Maybe he should go and ask Naruto. Kyuushoneko _did_ like Naruto as a friend, didn't she?

* * *

><p><strong>FAQ Time!<strong>

**Connecting pond? **There has to be somewhere where the summons can go to and fro without being summoned, and like the secret well for the frogs in the canon story, I thought a pond would be a good idea.

**Does the residential area exist? **No, but I think it kind of makes sense, don't you?

**I don't think the taste of fish can remain for that long. Can it? **Well, I was thinking that since Kiba's senses are super-sensitive, it would only make sense for him to be able to remember most of what he has tasted, smelt and heard. So, since Kiba, in a typically cliche fashion, hates fish, it stayed.

**Can Akamaru actually enter any shop premises that sells food? **I saw Akamaru being fed at some barbecue party in the anime, so I'm assuming that it's because either he's a nindog, or that the Inuzuka Clan have permission to bring their partners in.

Author: This chapter's rather short, but that's because the story's currently progressing slowly. Like, reaaaaaally slowly. Don't worry, there is a point to this story. It'll just be revealed in later chapters. So I do hope there will be more feedback! Reviews and constructive criticism are greatly appreciated!

Luv, Pichuzilla.


	5. Good Fences Make Good Neighbours

Author: I've been busy with life lately, so the result here is a pretty short chapter of ISS. Well, anyways, thank you to those to viewed but didn't leave any messages!

_Special thanks to:__ MidnightCherryBlossoms, _my betareader!  
><em>Ookami-no-Seirei<em>  
><em>DEWFAL<em>  
><em>Godess of the Sun<em>  
><em>Raspberry-ripple<em>  
><em>NyxNightmare<em>

Only a small band of readers, but I really cherish each and every one of your support! You're the reason why I strive to better my writing! Seriously, it makes me smile when I see the reviews people take their time to write and send to me. And of course, I try to reply to whoever reviews as soon as I can.

Disclaimer: Nope. I don't own Naruto or any of the characters you recognize here. All of that belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. I only own the ones that do not appear on Naru Wiki, and of course, the plot used in this fanfiction.

This story will probably veer off the course of the actual Naruto story, but that's to be expected, since this is a fanfiction, after all.

Warning: Coarse language from some beloved characters.

* * *

><p>"Mushi-maro!"<p>

Kiba stifled a snicker when he saw Shino's eyebrow twitch at the sight of the stuffed bug Kyuushoneko was waving about. The Aburame pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, eyebrows furrowing at Kyuushoneko's toy.

"What, may I ask, is your purpose for bringing that here?"

It was the next day, and Team Kurenai was at their usual training grounds for another training session with Hana's apprentice. Kyuushoneko had been earliest, and had waited to present her package of the day, which was a stuffed toy in the form of a bug.

"You know that white mutated rabbit thing called Mashimaro? This is _Mushi_-maro! When I saw it yesterday, I thought it looked a lot like your kikaichu, so I got it for you!" Kyuushoneko explained with a gleeful grin, looking horribly pleased with herself, "Now you have a companion when you go to the dentist for checkups!"

The red-gold-haired girl stepped forwards and pulled out of Shino's hands, stuffing the bug into it. Shino held up the toy, not having a single clue as to what to do with it as he stared at it. "You do not even know how my kikaichu look like."

"Someone's getting into his second childhood!" Kiba hooted, earning him a furious glare from the bug-user.

"Isn't that pot calling the kettle black, Kiba?" Kyuushoneko asked, "But I suppose little things do please little minds,"

Kiba's mirth dissolved at once - his full attention on the girl.

"A hundred laps."

xxxx

"Just take deep breaths like I just taught you and mold your chakra. Done? Good! Now try to focus it on your feet - but not too much, or you'll just be wasting your chakra,"

Kiba watched as Kyuushoneko held her hands together in a basic seal, nose wrinkled in concentration as she followed Hinata's instructions. The Hyuuga had the task of teaching Kyuushoneko advanced chakra control for the day, since Kyuushoneko had basic mastery already. As it turned out, the mischievous girl was, as she had claimed, loads better at ninjutsu than she had been at taijutsu. Kiba shivered to wonder how bad she was at genjutsu.

"I think I can feel some in my feet. It's like a pair of shoes made out of chakra," Kyuushoneko informed, picking up a kunai, "So I try to walk up that tree, right?"

Hinata turned to the tall oak and nodded. "Yes, please. Don't forget to mark as soon as you lose control,"

Kiba, although begrudgingly, thought that Kyuushoneko was doing rather well as she determinedly started scaling the tree. They were only thirty minutes into the exercise, and so far, Kyuushoneko had been progressing fairly - she hadn't even cracked a joke, for all her attention was poured into concentrating on the lesson.

_CRASH!_

Kiba winced at the sound and looked over to see Kyuushoneko sprawled out against the grass on her back. Against his better judgement, a grin spread across his face. "Hah! Wish I could've taken a picture of that!"

"Go fuck yourself!" was the reply as Hinata hurried over to the girl to help her up.

"It was a good first attempt, Kyuushoneko-san. Let's try that again, alright?"

Kyuushoneko grunted and nodded, joining her hands together and started focusing her chakra. Kiba looked to see where she had fallen from, and was, honestly, taken aback.

A single mark scarred the trunk of the tree very near to its top.

"Whoa! That wasn't just good - that was mental!" Kiba exclaimed in disbelief, "I hate to say it, but you did better than I did on my first try!"

"Different strokes for different folks, Kiba!" Kyuushoneko briefly glanced over at the boy, "Now shut up."

Kiba growled and glared at the girl, but she did not return the gesture for she was too busy concentrating on her chakra control. A sound of a throat clearing made Kiba look up to see Shino holding out a folder. Kiba nearly scooted away from where his friend was standing, because he hadn't noticed the enigmatic Aburame walk up to him at all.

Kiba swore that one day, Shino would definitely scare some old, frail person into a heart attack. "Y'know, Shino, you should be less subtle when approaching a person. It's creepy, the way you do it."

"The way I handle social interactions is none of your business, Kiba," Shino shook the folder in his hand, "Take a look at this,"

"What's this?" Kiba queried as he took the bulky file from his friend, flipping it open, "A folder?"

"Good observation," Shino's tone was dry with sarcasm, even though the expression on his face was as straight as ever, "It is a file that contains compiled information on Akemi Kyuushoneko,"

Kiba's eyebrows shot up, joining his forehead protector. "And why do you have it…?"

"Because running background checks is one of the basic thing a cautious shinobi must do, given the chance," Shino answered coolly, "The Godaime gave me permission to take it out of the Archives, to let both you and Hinata take a look at it. I have already looked through the file. I suggest you do the same."

Kiba rolled his eyes at his friend's paranoia, and obliged. As his eyes fell to the first sheet of paper, the first thing he saw was a picture of a very solemnly unsmiling Kyuushoneko, both hands saluting the photographer with victory signs. He could see the blurred form of Shizune in the background, an angry expression on her face as she tried to get to Kyuushoneko - probably to reprimand her for not taking a proper photo. Seeing how that this was the picture they had used for her official file, Kiba gathered that no one had succeeded in forcing the genin into taking another photo, and they had probably given up on ever hoping to do so.

Kiba pushed down the laugh that threatened to escape as he looked at the ironic picture, which was strangely contrasting, with the serious expression and victory signs. "Pfft. Typical."

Rolling his eyes, Kiba moved on to the details printed beneath the picture. It was filled with the basics - name, birthdate, blood type, highest rank achieved and other things that one would find in the shinobi data file. As expected, her mission profile was empty, and the background section only had one sentence: _'Offspring of Akemi Suzuko'._

_Offspring? _It was no wonder that some neighboring shinobi referred to Konoha shinobi as Konoha dogs.

Kiba turned his attention to the next section. There was a family tree, but it only had the names of Akemi Suzuko's parents — who had been merchants — and then Suzuko's name was connected to a box filled in with multiple question marks, which then led to Kyuushoneko's name.

"So _that's_ her mother's name!" Kiba had let it slip without thinking, making Shino quirk an eyebrow.

"You know of her mother, Kiba?"

Silence.

"From this, I surmise that the 'wine' that Akemi Kyuushoneko punished you for two weeks ago had something to do with her mother. Am I right?"

Kiba pretended to be very interested in Kyuushoneko's academic records.

"I see. Very well."

Kiba's eyes landed on medical conditions: _'ADHD — diagnosed at the age four, subsequent treatment administered on monthly basis. Arms broken in landslide accident at age nine — emergency treatment administered; subsequent treatment denied.'_

ADHD? Kyuushoneko's excessive behaviour suddenly made a lot of sense. Kiba carefully stored this piece of information away in his head — he would have to ask his sister about this.

Most of Kyuushoneko's papers were in the file - a lot of them had multitudes of unforgiving red marks, something that Kiba himself was very familiar with. A particular work - some pieces of paper tied together with a string - caught Kiba's eye.

She had written at least three pages on how useful animal summons were, how they came about and how everyone should be given the privilege to have at least one. It stood out rather impressively among all the other poorly-graded papers, but Kyuushoneko wouldn't be Kyuushoneko, if she hadn't added in a crude drawing of herself and Kinmaru at the end of the essay.

Kiba snickered to himself at the angry, red circle the teacher had marked around the drawing, accompanied with a_ 'This is an essay, not a picture book!'_ and in Kyuushoneko's handwriting below the comment, _'There are two thousand words and only one picture! That hardly qualifies as a picture book!'_

Trust _her _to be snarky even in schoolwork.

Kiba, with a twisted sense of nostalgia, worked his way through the copies of detailed disciplinary reports that Kiba had similar painful experiences with as well. He could vividly recall the thunderous expression on his mother's face whenever the dreaded report came, heralding all of Kiba's deliberate misconducts.

He shuddered involuntarily.

"Good fences make good neighbors, but it looks like the good neighbor just broke the fence, right, Kiba?"

An expectant Kyuushoneko stood in front of Kiba, with a mildly curious Hinata peering into the folder Kiba cradled in his hands. Shino adjusted his glasses as he looked over to the tree that Kyuushoneko had been practicing on. "I assume your practice is going well?" the Aburame looked at his junior as he spoke.

"What do you think, Shino-senpai?" the girl grabbed a water canteen from where it stood on a training stump, as she waved her free hand at the tree she had chosen as her training mark.

Shino tilted his head upwards, and Kiba followed the Aburame's gaze. Many kunai were embedded onto the top of the coniferous pine, almost weighing it down. Shino lifted a pleasantly surprised eyebrow, while Kiba gaped at the sight.

"We're going to try walking on water for the next chakra control exercise," Hinata decided to put in, smiling in a way that she did when she was delighting in something. Clearly, her success in teaching the corybantic genin was an accomplishment that ruffled the Hyuuga's modest feathers.

Kiba turned his gaping towards the Genin. "Y-You!"

Kyuushoneko beamed at her senior's evident surprise. "If I can do summons, of _course_ I can do chakra control! It just needed some getting used to, that's all,"

"How horribly modest of you," Kiba sniffed, slitting his eyes sardonically as he reshuffled the papers in his hands back in order and stuffed them back into the folder. He was very conscious of the way Kyuushoneko's eyes never left the object in his hands.

"Deal with faults of others as gently as you do with your own," Kyuushoneko commented dryly, before pointing at the folder with the water canteen, "Why're you stalking me anyway?"

"I'm not stalking you! Shino asked me to read it," Kiba retorted, pulling out another disciplinary report. Clearly, if Kyuushoneko wasn't throwing a diva fit, that meant she was fine with him violating her privacy. Or whatever privacy there was to violate, anyway.

"For a good reason," the Aburame interjected quietly, "Give it to Hinata when you're done, Kiba. I'll take a look at the damage done to the tree. Hinata, come with me,"

"It's just a tree, Shino!" Kiba yelled after the retreating figures of his teammates, before looking back at the disciplinary report in his hands. "Bloody tree-hugger," he muttered as he read the contents.

_'Disciplinary Misconduct #15 - Disrupted Umino Iruka's class during third period by targeting a single Hyuuga Neji. Punitive assignment has been given.'_

Squinting her eyes, the Kyuushoneko peered over to look at the slip of paper in Kiba's hands. Recognition dawned on her as she read the content. "Oh! _That_ one!" She wore a rather proud look on her face; one that instantly gave Kiba a feeling of mistrust and doubt, "One of the finest works I did during my time in the academy! I sneaked inside and braided Hyuuga Neji's hair with pink and yellow ribbons!"

"You did _what_?"

"He was sitting in the back row, so it wasn't hard, since everyone was concentrating on their papers. I think it was during an examination when I did it."

It gave Kiba a twisted sense of comfort to know that even the great prodigy of the Hyuuga clan had not been spared of Kyuushoneko's pranks.

"You were a horrible kid. And you still are," Kiba shook his head at the grinning genin.

Kyuushoneko pulled the folder out of Kiba's hands, peering inside with mild interest as her fingers flitted through the loose pages mixed together with neatly-bound reams of paper. "Well, the braided hair thing was nothing compared to the time when I had some kittens from Matatabi Mori come over through the connecting pond and let them loose in the Academy. Now _that _was something."

Kiba blanched at the thought of a rampage of felines. Oh, the _smell_ that would've tortured him! "Thank fuck I wasn't there to witness it," he muttered in distaste, as he vividly recalled the scent that had permeated his senses when he had been accidentally reverse-summoned to Matatabi Mori.

He still hadn't gotten back at Kinmaru for his mistake. Kiba had sworn to get even when he left Kinmaru's place, with the calico taunting him from behind the safe form of his father, but he hadn't seen tail nor hide of the contracted summon since he last saw him.

"I had to clean up the whole mess after that, but at least that was better than being on the run from Hyuuga Neji's jyuuken. He's batshit crazy in spite of his girly appearance. I haven't seen him since he graduated, though. I wonder how is he doing now?"

* * *

><p>Author: This chapter's also rather short, as I mentioned earlier. We're still at the point where the team isn't very comfortable with Kyuushoneko just yet, so social interactions are necessary. If not, I'll just feel weird, y'know? So I do hope there will be more feedback! Reviews and constructive criticism are greatly appreciated!<p>

Luv, Pichuzilla.


	6. Hyuuga Neji

First update in forever, but fingers crossed for it to be regular from now on out, since I just got accepted in my dream university and am now on break until the school year starts in March. Yay for half gap years! You may have noticed that the title is now different - but I've decided that this was a more apt name for the story.

_Special thanks to:_

Only a small band of readers, but I really cherish each and every one of your support! You're the reason why I strive to better my writing! Seriously, it makes me smile when I see the reviews people take their time to write and send to me.

Disclaimer: Nope. I don't own Naruto or any of the characters you recognize here. All of that belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. I only own the ones that do not appear on Naru Wiki, and of course, the plot used in this fanfiction.

This story will probably veer off the course of the actual Naruto story, but that's to be expected, since this is a fanfiction, after all.

Warning: Coarse language from certain characters.

* * *

><p>"Akemi Kyuushoneko."<p>

There was a barely visible twitch at one corner of a pair of masculine chapped lips as the name was said; pale eyes narrowed in what seemed like a mix of fear and resentment.

"Hyuuga Neji!" Eyes of dark champagne twinkled with mischief; a wicked smile played on the girl's face. "Your hair looks as fabulous as ever! Want me to give you my special braiding services again? I can do a proper fishbone braid now! It'll be for free - just like the previous one!"

The jounin's glare never left his eyes, as his dark brows furrowed together even more, deepening the creases between them. Since that dreaded day when his hair had been subject to humiliation that would've killed someone else other than Neji, that evil face of Satan's spawn had been burned into his memories.

He hadn't seen her since she had successfully evaded his then-low-leveled jyuuken - now the time was ripe for a revenge that the Hyuuga had never gotten a chance to serve, with the jyuuken that had become immensely powerful over the years.

"What are you doing here?" Neji's tone was laced with a wary suspicion that was understandable. The saccharine grin on her face was questionable.

Neji had been on his way back to his room from practicing in the family dojo, expertly weaving his way around the meticulously well-kept Hyuuga compound. He had been taking the shortcut through the rock garden, when he had discovered the unsavory character picking out smooth round pebbles of various sizes to form a picture. The expensive arrangement that one of the Hyuuga women had ordered specifically for the rock garden now lay in shambles.

For some reason, the formation the girl had been working on had a disturbing resemblance to a pig with the Byakugan. There was even the tell-tale veins that popped up when the eyes were activated.

"Hinata-senpai invited us over for tea, and since it's my first time here, I decided to do some sightseeing," was her bright explanation, as she immersed herself into the arrangement carefully laid out before her once again.

"Hinata-sama did?" Neji's suspicions grew as he folded his arms across his flat-planed chest, "What business do you have with her?"

"He who cannot endure the bad will never live to see the good, Hyuuga Neji. Haven't I told you that before?" Kyuushoneko poured a handful of minuscule pebbles into her artwork, "So my presence is another trial that will help build your character on the road to becoming a man. If you must know, Hinata-senpai has been in charge of me for a few weeks now, along with Shino-senpai and Kiba,"

A small vein throbbed at Neji's temple in annoyance, as he fought to keep his temper in check. He did, in fact, remember the words the girl had flung at him as she ran for her dear life, escaping from the prodding, chakra-blocking fingers of the Hyuuga genius.

Annoyance was jabbing him in tiny, hard thrusts, much like his sixty-four trigrams palm rotation. "I am _already_ a man," he declared with quiet, indifferent dignity.

Kyuushoneko paused, turning to study Neji's form with a critical eye. "Nope. You're still that same little feminine boy with the pink and yellow ribbons in his hair. At most, you can only be called a wo-man."

Cue the wicked grin.

"E-Excuse me?" a scandalized tone of indignation was evident in Neji's question.

"You heard me," confirmed the girl in a sardonic tone as she drew back from the picture on the ground, studying it from different angles as she tilted her head in various directions.

"Oy! Kyuushoneko! What the fuck are you doing to that rock garden?"

A rough, masculine voiced hissed from behind Neji, making the prodigy jump a little. In his boiling irritation for the genin, he had failed to detect the unmasked presence of chakra behind him.

"Kiba," Neji acknowledged the Inuzuka with a courteous nod of the head, before looking at the merrily working girl askance, "I'm assuming you know this girl?"

Kiba nodded warily, in an evident hurry to stop whatever Kyuushoneko was doing as he fidgeted in his spot. "Yeah. She's my sister's apprentice. Hinata, Shino and I are in charge of her at the moment," he explained, before hissing, in angry tones, "Oy! I said stop that!"

Giving the canine-user a look of mock innocence, a one-fingered salute was given in his direction as Kyuushoneko blatantly chose to ignore his orders and continue adding more shape to the picture with the rocks she had collected beforehand, all sitting in piles around her.

Kiba snarled; muttering a quick, "Excuse me," to Neji, he stormed towards Kyuushoneko and grabbed one of her arms firmly and tugged at it. "Stop disrespecting the place! You know what kind of deep shit you'll get stuck in if they catch you!"

Kyuushoneko's eyes narrowed into slits as she attempted to pull her arm out of Kiba's strong grip. "Fuck's sake, Kiba. It's not like Hyuuga Neji's got anything to say about it. He's just _standing _there,"

"I meant the _elders_ of this house! They'll murder you, Kyuushoneko! You're destroying their property!"

"But you have to admit that this is_ way_ better than some shitty kanji for pride," Kyuushoneko remarked in satisfaction, pulling her senior's collar towards the picture on the ground, forcing him to look at it. "What's this place, anyway? A place for depositing manure?"

Against his better judgement, a snort threatened to escape Kiba the moment his eyes landed on the girl's crude artwork. Kyuushoneko raised her eyebrows, a smirk displayed across her face. "Knew it! If you bow at all, bow low. But since that isn't the case, shouldn't you stop reprimanding me and leave me be? I hardly think a bunch of wise adults are going to bat an eye at this. They'll probably scoff and mutter something about childish peasant girls,"

Neji almost winced when he heard a very scandalized and horrified gasp coming from the direction of the opposite corridor. An elderly woman dressed in the pastel robes that the Hyuuga clan chose to don was surveying the wrecked rock garden with an appalled expression etched onto her aged features.

"Wh-What happened to my rock garden?! What is this… this… this _abomination_!?" Hereditary eyes of pale lavender landed on the marplot standing in the scene of the crime. "You!"

"Akemi Kyuushoneko, antagonizing me was one thing," Neji chose that moment to say his piece, "But I don't think you'll get off lightly with the elders."

xxxx

"What?"

Kyuushoneko's expression was defiant; her tone defensive. She was sitting on the wooden corridor, arms crossed like that of a petulant child.

_"I'm sorry, Sasaki-san! I promise it won't happen again!" _

The sulk on the girl's face intensified by tenfold at the distinct sound of Hinata's voice floating through the thin rice-paper of closed doors.

_"I understand that your altruism is a good thing, Hinata-sama, and that I cannot control whom you choose to associate yourself with, but please, refrain from bringing such boorish characters into the prestigious household of the Hyuuga clan!"_

Kyuushoneko rolled her eyes at the elder's words.

"I didn't do anything wrong! I merely rearranged the placement of the rocks in the garden! I didn't even know it was a garden! Who the fuck dumps rocks on the ground and " Kyuushoneko flared at the smug expressions on both Kiba's and Neji's faces, "Admit it! The pig was way better than that shitty kanji!"

"You're indebted to Hinata now, you know," Kiba informed her with a smirk, "I wouldn't expect much from you, though, causing trouble in someone else's house… you have no shame,"

"Kiba's right, Akemi Kyuushoneko. Coming over by invitation, fine. But imposing yourself on Hinata-sama's hospitality and destroying an esteemed elder's property?" Neji shook his head in mock exasperation, "You're as impossible as you were five years ago,"

"Shut up, ribbons. You too, bitchface."

Two different eyebrows twitched simultaneously. Shino, standing close to the three, merely shook his head slightly at the recalcitrant genin as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

The loud ranting from indoors finally subsided, and the door slid open. A shaky, but relieved Hinata stepped out, bowing her head in apology once again before sliding it shut.

"Sorry, Hinata-senpai. I assure you that I didn't intend to cause you trouble. It was for a bit of fun," Kyuushoneko mumbled, getting onto her feet, "I didn't think that anyone would react like that. It's not fair for them to blame you for what I did. Hypocrites."

"It's okay, Kyuushoneko-san," Hinata gave the girl a reassuring pat on the back, "It's fine. The servants will have everything back in order, so there is no need for you to worry,"

A loud scoff of derision came from Neji, causing Kyuushoneko to glare at the male Hyuuga. Neji threw a look of contempt in her direction. "You were foolish to even think that the elders of the clan would turn a blind eye at this form of disrespect. A pig using the Byakugan? I always knew you had no class, but I didn't know your standards were this low."

Though, Neji had to admit, the girl had balls. Most people tended to bow at the name of Hyuuga, but Kyuushoneko showed none of the narrow-minded prejudice that they had. Like the orange blur of Konoha - Naruto - Kyuushoneko defied all sorts of authority with a sneer.

A look was exchanged between him and Kiba, and the jounin knew the Inuzuka shared the same sentiment as well.

"So, Akemi Kyuushoneko, I suppose you're going to bring your nonsense elsewhere now?"

"Oh, no, Hyuuga Neji. Just you watch."

xxxx

"So, I heard that the Hyuuga council of elders banned you from entering the Hyuuga compound. Is that true?"

Kyuushoneko looked up from the foal she had been examining, reluctantly meeting the stern gaze her mentor, Inuzuka Hana, was giving her. The little horse whinnied weakly, butting the girl's hands with its muzzle, missing the attention that Kyuushoneko had been giving it only a few seconds ago.

Kyuushoneko had been exempted from a day's training to go on a house-visit outside of the village to a farm that supplied to Konoha regularly. The girl had been somewhat glad to skip another day's worth of torture from her senior, Kiba, who had a penchant for handing out punishment laps to the girl as if they were flyers.

"Uh… that _was_ the case, until Hinata-senpai and Hyuuga Neji convinced Hyuuga Hiashi to lift the ban," Kyuushoneko resumed her examination of the foal's spindly legs, gently prodding the developing calf muscles, "After all, he who holds the ladder is as bad as the thief. Hyuuga Neji pulled a few strings in the background,"

Hana lifted a quizzical eyebrow; for a moment, she had an uncanny resemblance to her younger brother, Kiba, for he made the exact same expression when he was confused as well. "What exactly did you do? It must have been something really bad if the council of elders had to ban you in which you needed Hinata and Neji to plead your case,"

A wicked grin split across Kyuushoneko's face; Hana recognized the devious expression, for her apprentice had made it a time too many. The veterinarian had already lost count of the occasions that she had to smoothen out the ruffles caused by Kyuushoneko's mischief.

"I left a special present for the Hyuuga elders, is all," Golden eyes gleamed devilishly, "Hyuuga Neji helped me."

xxxx

**"So, Akemi Kyuushoneko, from that bottle of dye in your hand, I surmise that you intend to dump it into someone's sewage system."**

**"How astute of you, Hyuuga Neji. You assume right, because this bottle of loveliness will grace the waters of that bathhouse Hinata-senpai pointed out when she gave us a tour of the compound. The one that only the old codgers of the family use? The one with magical healing waters for arthritis and some other bodily defect that one gets when they're old?"**

**"If you intend to desecrate the waters, you surely must've found a way to get past the ninjutsu barrier seal on the doors, then?"**

**"… What did you say?"**

**"… Come, I'll show you how it works."**

xxxx

"So that explains why no one is allowed to see any of the Hyuuga elders at the moment. I thought maybe some strange illness had taken over them," Hana sighed in exasperation, shaking her head at her apprentice's wicked ways, "Kyuushoneko, I specifically asked Kurenai to take you on to quell those bad habits of yours. I could've asked anyone else, but I thought Shino's calm and Hinata's altruism would rub off on you."

Kyuushoneko butted the foal gently, coaxing it back to its place in the barn. "But Kiba's part of their team, too. Wouldn't it make sense that he would rub off more on me than the other two? After all, birds of a feather do flock together, as much as I hate to say it,"

Hana sighed at the mention of her brother. Of course, Kyuushoneko would choose to follow Kiba, even if her way of showing it was roundabout. It was the only explanation as to why she obliged to the hundred laps that Kiba never failed to assign her, albeit unwillingly.

"Speaking of my brother, what do you think of him?" Hana picked up a stethoscope, striding over to a mare with a very swollen belly. "I know you've known him for quite some years already, but it's the first time you both have spoken, right?"

"Yes, I suppose. What does Kiba say about me, though?" Kyuushoneko paused in rummaging through the bag of medical tools, shaking her head, "Wait. I don't really want to know."

Hana grinned as she pulled on some gloves; the stethoscope hung around her neck. "From what I hear, you're just about the absolute worst. He says it's like you're hellbent on rebelling against him no matter what."

"Come on! It's not that bad. He's just more susceptible than Shino-senpai and Hinata-senpai are, that's all. It's not my fault it's easy to push his buttons,"

"Who's more susceptible?"

Kyuushoneko jumped at the sudden intrusion of her conversation with her mentor. Turning to look, she saw Kiba, brushing off water droplets on his leather jacket and Akamaru shaking the water off his fur.

"Bitchface and Akamaru!" Kyuushoneko craned her neck to look outside; the sky was a murky grey. "Is it raining?"

Narrowing his sharp eyes into slits at the insulting name, Kiba bared his teeth menacingly as he took a few steps forward. "Hana-nee, you forgot to bring the prescription for the animals. Okaa-san saw it on the island in the kitchen and asked me to bring it over after training," he stopped right in front of the girl, "And I am not more susceptible than Shino and Hinata are!"

"On contrary," Kyuushoneko cast a wary look in the direction of Kiba's evil hands, "You're more volatile and hot-headed than the both of them are when put together. You don't think; you act on instincts,"

"I do not!"

"Yes, you do,"

"How do you know?"

"Well, that's for me to know and for you to find out,"

"Why you-!"

"Stop flirting and hand me that prescription!" Hana thrust an irritated hand into the space between the two teenagers, grabbing the paper bag from her brother's hand, "If not, go outside! You're disturbing my concentration here!"

Two pairs of indignant eyes landed on Hana.

"We weren't flirting,"

"What he said. Why would I flirt with him?"

"I have had better-looking women chase after me! Even ones that were way older than me!"

"I don't know about Kiba, but I do not like little boys. I prefer men."

"What was that?!"

"Shut up! Both of you!"

xxxx

For some reason, even as he sat under the cool shade of the tree munching on his favorite beef jerky sandwich and watching a peacefully dozing Akamaru, he could not get rid of the awkward tension that stemmed from the person sitting next to him. He watched her nibble on a biscuit thoughtfully, then he nudged her arm lightly with his elbow. "Hey. Can you move away a little? You're making me uncomfortable,"

A red-gold eyebrow rose. "Ah? And subject me to the torturous heat of the afternoon sun? No way in hell. _You _go find somewhere else to sit,"

Kiba glared at her, mentally cursing the capricious weather as Kyuushoneko made a face at him. The light drizzle that Kiba had experienced on his way to the farm had let up during his argument with Kyuushoneko in the barn, and Hana had unceremoniously flung some money at the two as she banished them from the barn, ordering them to go buy their lunch, since they wouldn't stop arguing.

Since they weren't allowed back into the barn, both Kiba and Kyuushoneko had to sit outside as they ate their lunch. Kyuushoneko was deeply engrossed in shaping the round biscuits by biting off unwanted pieces and eating them, and Kiba found her silence to be very unnerving.

"Oy."

Kyuushoneko's eyes swiveled towards his direction, cocking her head slightly to one side. Jerking her head up, Kiba realized that she was too busy nibbling the biscuit into a particular shape to answer him verbally.

"Say something. You being quiet is too creepy to bear."

Kyuushoneko pulled the biscuit out, and Kiba saw that it was in a shape of the letter 'K'. Most probably for 'Kyuushoneko', if he thought he knew her.

"I thought you liked it when I don't talk," Kyuushoneko deposited the half-eaten biscuit into the plastic wrapper and selected a new one, "Besides, what do you want me to say?"

Kiba shrugged, swallowing the last bit of his sandwich before replying, "Dunno. Just say whatever crap that comes to mind. You're pretty good at that, right? Verbal diarrhea and all that."

Gold eyes narrowed into a glare, before Kyuushoneko turned her head to the other way, looking away from Kiba. "Well, if you put it that way, I'll just leave you to come up with a suitable topic before we resume our conversation. Good day,"

With that, she thrust the biscuit into her mouth and began nibbling away.

xxxx

"Okay, so you said you liked men and not boys, right?"

The crunching sounds stopped; the tongue poking a hole into the biscuit withdrew and a lone eyebrow was lifted. "Sure I did."

"You're only, what, fourteen? What makes you think you know a man when you see one?"

"It has been scientifically proven that girls mature way faster than boys. For example, I do believe you are well-acquainted with Haruno Sakura and Yamanaka Ino?"

"…I am. What's your point? And stop eating when I'm talking to you!"

"As if I'd do that. Anyways, what are they in your opinion? Women or girls?"

"…Women, I guess."

"And ergo, my point has been proven."

"Wait! But if you put it that way, who do you think is a man?"

"…Well, I'll need you to be more specific, Kiba."

"Neji? Is he a man or a boy?"

"Really, Kiba, really? Do you need to choose Hyuuga Neji as the first example?"

"What? I think he's a pretty standard example for a man."

"You're gay, man-bitch."

"I'm not gay! And don't call me that!"

"Hyuuga Neji is, and will always be, a woman."

"…It's the hair, isn't it?"

"Actually, it's also the wrap he wears too, but yes, the hair. How horribly astute and observant of you, Kiba. But no, Hyuuga Neji is a man."

"Lay off the sarcasm, will you? What about me, then?"

"…Who knows?"

xxxx

Normally, Kiba would've fallen bait for the careless words concerning him, but this time, it was different. The girl genuinely sounded perplexed, though her face didn't show it. Kiba looked askance to see his junior staring off into space; her gaze glassy. Was she determining what category to put Kiba in? She absentmindedly picked up another biscuit and nibbled on it.

"Kyuusho! I need your help in here! Wash your hands before you come in!"

Hana's voice attracted the attention of the two teenagers. Kyuushoneko pulled out the biscuit from in between her teeth and deposited it inside the plastic package, getting onto her feet. "Well, the mentor's a-calling," she pushed the package towards Kiba, "Finish up, won't you?"

Kiba started to protest at cleaning up his junior's mess, but she was gone before he could say anything. He sighed, and rolled his eyes. Looking down at the mess Kyuushoneko had made, his eyes caught sight of the oddly-shaped biscuits she'd left. One in particular had a shape that caught his attention.

The kanji for man.

He grinned.

* * *

><p>So, I do hope you all will continue to support me! Constructive criticism and feedback are greatly appreciated!<p>

Luv,  
>Pichuzilla<p> 


	7. Sugar Coma

Only a small band of readers, but I really cherish each and every one of your support! You're the reason why I strive to better my writing! Seriously, it makes me smile when I see the reviews people take their time to write and send to me. And of course, I try to reply to whoever reviews as soon as I can.

Disclaimer: Nope. I don't own Naruto or any of the characters you recognize here. All of that belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. I only own the ones that do not appear on Naru Wiki, and of course, the plot used in this fanfiction.

This story will probably veer off the course of the actual Naruto story, but that's to be expected, since this is a fanfiction, after all.

* * *

><p>"She's late. Very late."<p>

Kiba's hands clung to yet another poor tree fated to be scarred by the impatient Inuzuka's claw-like nails. As he dragged them across the trunk, they left angry welts, perfectly mirroring Kiba's lividity.

Timid Hinata stood alone awkwardly in the space between her two teammates, fumbling with her hands. Shino looked ahead coolly, his dark glasses masking any form of emotion that his eyes could've betrayed. His head turned to pay attention to the sundial nearby.

"It has been an hour since the appointed time."

"Way to state the obvious, Shino!"

"It is unwise of you to take out your anger on me. Why? Because the both of us know perfectly well that I am more than capable of subduing you in combat."

Hinata's dark brows furrowed together in a mixture of concern and doubt. "Shino-kun probably means that Kyuushoneko-san is later than usual today," The Hyuuga was sometimes able to read between the lines of Shino's words, "She's never this late."

Kiba scoffed, but was slightly alarmed with what his friends had pointed out. Obsidian eyes looked down; Kiba wasn't sure what to say. He was surprised, though, because he swore he had felt a fleeting concern for the absent girl.

Inuzuka Kiba did not concern himself with people! Especially ones like Kyuushoneko!

At least that was what he had convinced himself with, anyway.

"Did she have to help Hana-san today?" Hinata laced her fingers together as she spoke, "She might have forgotten to let us know."

Kiba shook his head; he'd passed by his sister's clinic on the way out of their compound, and had only seen the jounin. He hadn't seen hide nor tail of the corybantic troublemaker trailing after his sister.

Shino's indifferent expression remained unchanged, save for the slight wrinkling between his eyebrows. No doubt the Aburame heir was worried too.

"Kiba, you have been to Kyuushoneko's place of residence, have you not?"

An involuntary shudder shook the Inuzuka's body as he remembered the events that had led him to the possession of such information. "Yeah. What about it?"

"We should go and check to see if she is there. Why? Because if she is not there, we can perhaps find clues to her whereabouts."

Hinata nodded slowly in concurrence. "Shino-kun's right. We should go and see if she's at home."

Kiba shrugged, keen on not going back to where the pond connected to Matatabi Mori was. "Wouldn't it be rude if we just went there without telling her?" he asked, "Besides, this is Kyuushoneko we're talking about. Why would anyone want to do anything to her?"

Kiba could feel the intense burn of Shino's gaze on his face from behind the Aburame's dark glasses. "Do you have a problem with this, Kiba? Is it perhaps that you relish keeping such information to yourself and thus do not want anyone else to know?"

Was Shino strongly implying that Kiba was jealously guarding the address to Kyuushoneko's place?

"No! I just thought it would be rude to impose!" Kiba then trailed off with a slightly awkward expression. It was well-known that Kiba had the worst etiquette among the three of them present, and him saying what he had just said was definitely hypocritical.

"Then bring a housewarming gift," came Shino's answer, with a tone of finality that even Kiba didn't dare to oppose.

xxxx

Kiba pushed the creaky wooden gate open, sticking his head inside cautiously. Scanning the compound, it was still the same as before - the small house, the pond and the cobblestone ground. Nothing conspicuous, though it strangely didn't have a lively feel that was expected from a tenant like Kyuushoneko.

"This place looks very lonely, somehow," Hinata softly worded the thoughts on Kiba's mind as she surveyed the bleak compound, "It's strange."

"I suppose she and whoever she lives with must lead very busy lives," Kiba muttered, before adding with a dark look, "In her case, I bet it's causing mayhem and chaos everywhere."

Shino ignored Kiba's comment, only brushing past him to head for the door of the house. Staring at it with both his hands shoved into the pockets of his overcoat, he lifted his head to look at Kiba.

"Knock."

"Oh, for fuck's sake!" Kiba rolled his eyes, clenching his teeth in exasperation as he rapped on the wooden surface.

Nothing.

Hinata hovered hesitantly behind them, her hands nervously shielding her face like they always did when she was uncertain. Shino frowned slightly, before looking at Kiba expectantly. The Inuzuka sighed and knocked again.

And again, nothing.

"Oy! Kyuushoneko! Are you home?" Kiba decided to shout, wondering if Kyuushoneko was a particularly deep-sleeper and had forgotten to set her alarm today. "Kyuusho-!"

"Quiet, kid. I heard you the first time," a cold, indifferent voice startled the Inuzuka, and Kiba flinched slightly as the door opened by a slight measure.

Kiba wondered if it was the person Kyuushoneko lived with, but saw nothing as he looked inside. It smelt strongly of cat - most likely because Kinmaru probably spent a lot of his time here. Kiba felt queasy.

"Down here, stupid."

His gaze fell to the ground. "Oh, fuck. Not another one!"

"Don't categorize me as one of Kyuushoneko's summons - I would never choose someone like her to be my summoner."

A sleek, long-limbed feline stood at the door, displeasure clearly displayed across his face. Standing at about the same size and height as Kyuushoneko's favorite, Kinmaru, he was otherwise the spitting image of Ginmaru — he had the same grey fur that gleamed with an identical iridescence of silver, sprinkled with dark, rounded spots of an ocicat. Eyes like blue chips of ice regarded the canine trainer with a sort of cold disdain; it was clear that the cat was not happy with the unexpected trio of visitors.

"Who are you, then? The Kyuushoneko I know wouldn't just let random people or beings into her house," Kiba, instead of bending down, merely directed his gaze downwards in an attempt to belittle the feline.

"Then if that is so, I'd advise you to take your leave," the ocicat sniffed, "It would be wise, anyway, seeing as how Kyuushoneko has caught the cat flu. You should stay away from her, if you don't have the antibodies."

"The cat flu?"

At this, Kiba pushed the door wide opened, throwing the sullen cat off-balance. The ocicat got up swiftly onto his paws, glaring at Kiba as the latter motioned for his friends to enter. Hinata stepped inside; Shino merely studied his surroundings before even letting a foot into the building.

"Where is Kyuushoneko?" Kiba wanted to know, taking in the very normal layout of the house. Except for the bits and pieces of papers thrown about, it was relatively tidy to have someone like Kyuushoneko as its resident. There was definitely someone else living here.

"In her room," the cat sighed, starting to pad down a narrow corridor, "Over here."

"Well, aren't you a ball of sunshine," the disgruntled Inuzuka grumbled under his breath as he begrudgingly followed the smug feline.

As he neared an open door, he heard the cat say, "Kyuushoneko, there are some people here to see you,"

A loud sneeze resounded, before a nasally voice replied, "People? I don't remember asking 'people' to come here."

"Blow your nose, you moron. That's why there are tissues provided," the cat sure had a nice personality, "It seems to be an impromptu visitation. It's a boy with fang-prints on his face, a Hyuuga girl and an Aburame boy."

"Fang-prints? You mean the Inuzuka markings? As in Inuzuka Kiba, Hyuuga Hinata and Aburame Shino?"

"How do you expect me to know what their names are?"

"Right, Ginro. I forgot. Well, you can ask them to come in, I suppose. If they want."

The cat, Ginro, came back out, muttering something about Kyuushoneko paying no attention to health concerns. Unblinking eyes stared up as he relayed Kyuushoneko's reply, "You can choose to go in to see her, but I won't guarantee your chances of making it out without contracting the illness,"

_Ginro._

Now _where_ had Kiba heard that name before?

**"My other son, Ginro, however, looks remarkably like me…"**

The words of the stately Ginmaru rang in Kiba's mind, and Kiba realized with a jolt that the sulk on Ginro's face was similar to that of Kinmaru's. "You're that annoying maneki's brother!"

Feline eyes narrowed. "_'Annoying maneki'_? Are you referring to my talentless younger brother?"

"Ginro, shut up and just ask them to come in if they want! Stop gossiping behind Kinmaru's back!" a weak, but firm order whispered through the crack of the door.

Ginro rolled his eyes. "Ungrateful brat," came a low hiss before he stalked away, tail indignantly raised tall and head poised high.

Shino nodded to Kiba, and he responded by pushing the door open. The Inuzuka said the first words that flooded his mind as his eyes landed on the bundle of bedclothes lying on the bed.

"You're looking pretty shit."

The only visible part of Kyuushoneko was her head, and it was definitely not a pretty sight. There were dark circles under her eyes; the gold irises lacked their usual mischievous lustre. Her skin lacked its usual healthy glow, and it was instead sallow. Her usual braid in limp, haggard strands and bangs stuck to her forehead, while her nose was distinctively bright red.

"Gee, Kiba. One would think that you would be kinder to an invalid," came the sarcastic croak that convinced the three chuunin that the person cocooned in blankets was, indeed, their junior, "Didn't Ginro go to tell you that I was sick?"

With a sudden flash of annoyance and anger for the smug feline, Kiba realized that Ginro had not complied to Kyuushoneko's request. She was all alone in the house, and the cat hadn't even bothered to oblige to the small plea.

For some reason, Kiba felt like strangling the silver-furred tom.

"You're sick," Shino stated as he stepped in after Kiba, followed closely by an evidently anxious Hinata.

Kyuushoneko sniffled, before grabbing a tissue from a box and blowing into it. "Way to state the obvious, Shino-senpai,"

Kiba fought off a grin - he had said the exact same words to Shino earlier. Shino frowned at her from behind his upturned collar. "What kind of sickness is it?"

"Cat flu - I caught it in Matatabi Mori," Kyuushoneko broke off in a small fit of wracking coughs, before blowing her nose into another tissue and tossing it into a wastepaper basket overflowing with wadded-up balls of tissues, "Kinmaru caught it too, that's why Ginro's here. If it hadn't been for Ginmaru, Ginro wouldn't even _be_ here."

Kiba's eyes narrowed at the mention of Ginmaru's other son.

"Are you alright?" Hinata asked softly, peering closely at Kyuushoneko. It was hard to tell where she was; the blankets were a colorful mess. "Have you taken any medicine?"

"No," Another loud sniffle accompanied the answer, "I usually wait it out."

Shino frowned at this. "Kiba, call for Akamaru. I believe the gift we initially brought to avoid any outrage from Kyuushoneko will prove beneficial to her health. Why? Because it is a cure that my clan uses for such an ailment,"

Kiba whistled, the high-pitched frequency was inaudible to those surrounding him, but it was a distinct, sharp sound that he and Akamaru could hear. The canine came bounding in, carrying a brown paper bag in his jaws and looking expectantly at his master. Kiba, in turn, looked expectantly at Shino. "Well? How is a jar of honey and a bag of sugar going to help?"

When Shino had decided to be the one to pick the gift, Kiba had groaned at the Aburame's choices. After all, it was only the kikaichu-wielding clan that would dare to consume massive amounts of sugar without batting an eyelash in concern for a risk of major health issues.

"May I use your kitchen?"

Shino merely turned to ask Kyuushoneko, who responded with a weak, "With the state I'm in, what makes you think I can stop you?"

The dark-haired Aburame then turned towards his two teammates. "Hinata, you will come with me to brew the concoction. Kiba, you stay here and wait."

Hinata followed Shino out, casting a worried look in Kyuushoneko's direction before closing the door behind her.

"You know, this is totally déjà vu," Kyuushoneko was referring to the time when the Hyuuga and Aburame had left the two alone in the training field - it was inevitably led to Kiba's unfortunate discovery of Matatabi Mori.

Kiba's eyes swiveled to Kyuushoneko swathed with multitudes of blankets. "It looks like you're still noisy, even if you're sick," he commented smugly, "Seriously? You just 'wait it out'? And what the hell is the cat flu?"

"Patience is the best medicine," Kyuushoneko paused as she blew into yet another tissue, "And it's like the normal flu, really, but a flu that I contracted in Matatabi Forest. There's this flu virus that's only found there, so hence the term 'cat flu'."

"You said that the maneki caught it too?" Akamaru made himself comfortable on the floor, and Kiba deigned to lean against his partner as he spoke to Kyuushoneko.

"Kinmaru, yes. We were both looking for something in the woods where there was a recent outbreak, but we didn't know," Kyuushoneko then rested her eyes on the Inuzuka. "You should leave, you know. You might catch it from me."

Kiba scoffed. "I don't get sick. I never get sick."

"You know what they say - fools can never catch an illness."

Kiba made a strangled sound of indignation as he glared at the invalid. "And yet you're a living contradiction!"

"Who says?"

Kiba shook his head, sighing. "Not only are you snarky in schoolwork, but you're also the same when you're sick. You're very dedicated to your art, aren't you?"

"Speaking of dedication, has Ginro gone yet?"

Kiba lifted a questioning eyebrow as he folded his arms. "You mean that jerk-off of a cat? I don't know - he just disappeared after calling you an ungrateful brat,"

Kyuushoneko gave a shudder. It was hard to tell whether it was because of the chill that she felt even underneath the blankets or because of Ginro. "The feeling is mutual, I'm glad to say,"

"You don't like him?" Kiba was surprised, "I thought you liked the maneki's bunch."

"You thought wrong. It's true I like Kinmaru and his family, except for Ginro," Kyuushoneko coughed, slapping a hand over her mouth, before continuing, "Notice how Ginro's acting like he's got a stick up his ass, and the fact that he calls me 'brat' and Kyuushoneko. He hardly qualifies as a cat that likes me,"

Kiba responded with a snicker. "I guess that's true. But then, I call you Kyuushoneko, and I li-," he stopped short.

The leer on a sick Kyuushoneko was even creepier than the usual one. "Oh? You like me?" Even in her croaky, nasally voice she was still able to taunt the Inuzuka very well, "I was under the impression that you hated my guts, Ki-senpai,"

A corner of Kiba's eye twitched in annoyance. "You're definitely under the right impression," the russet-haired boy scoffed, "What I meant to say that is that I call you Kyuushoneko and I feel some concern for you. Because you're under my tutelage." The last part was added hastily as soon as a mischievous twinkle found its way into Kyuushoneko's eyes.

"You don't have to like someone to care about them, Kiba. That much, I do know," Kyuushoneko rasped, sniffling loudly, "But as blocked as my ears are, I could definitely hear the syllable of 'li' coming from your mouth, and I'll bet it was going to end with 'ke'."

The weak grin on the girl's face was infuriating - Kiba felt an unfamiliar warmth creeping up his neck and onto the skin of his face. Was he contracting a fever? The Inuzuka didn't think so - Akamaru would've detected it and told him earlier. "I was not going to say that!"

"Arguing again?"

Kiba turned his head; Kyuushoneko looked beyond Kiba. Shino was at the door, looking on with his usual stoicism while Hinata was balancing a bowl on a small tray. The Aburame shook his head in a lamenting manner. "Even when one of you is sick and mostly incapacitated, you can still manage to argue," Shino let out the tiniest of sighs before gesturing to the tray in Hinata's hands, "Kyuushoneko, eat this."

Hinata walked over to where Kyuushoneko was bundled, and set the tray down beside her. The girl peered into the bowl, taking in the rich amber hue of the viscous liquid, and the dubious-looking rocks stippling the liquid before throwing a suspicious look in Shino's direction.

"Why are you asking me to eat superglue?"

"It is not superglue. It is a medicine that the Aburame clan uses to counter the flu."

"And I'm definitely the monkey's uncle, too. Hey! It rhymed!" Kyuushoneko scrunched up her nose in distaste, "Forget it. I'm not taking any sort of medicine anyone throws at me."

Kiba peered into the bowl, taking a whiff of the sickly-sweet aroma of the medicine. "That's not medicine! That's just boiled honey and sugar!"

"That explains the hailstones inside," came a snarky comment from the invalid.

One of Shino's eyebrows twitched very slightly. "There are some medicinal herbs in it, as well."

Dealing with Kiba was tolerable, but having to stand both the Inuzuka and Kyuushoneko? The Aburame heir who had enough patience to sit quietly to propagate and generate massive amounts of mutated and stronger kikaichu for battle had only a certain amount of tolerance for a pair of noisemakers. And it was beginning to fray at the edges.

Hinata frowned; her maternal instincts kicked in at once. "Kyuushoneko-san, if you don't eat something, your conditions will get even worse," she attempted to scold, but it came out as a gentle plea that only Hinata was capable of making.

"No."

Shino dragged a chair from the corner of the room, and set it next to Kyuushoneko's bed. He then sat on it, placing the bowl onto the table next to the bed and crossed his arms. "I have all day."

The defiant genin cast a wary look in the Aburame's direction. "Are you implying that you're just going to sit there until I eat this?"

"Correct."

"And no matter how long it takes, you're just going to continue sitting there?"

"That is also correct."

"I enjoy sleeping, you know. I sleep like a cat. I can sleep for ages."

"The time spent waiting for you to eat it will give me an opportunity to propagate more kikaichu. In fact, it's a good opportunity seeing how I've been too busy training you to breed a surplus of them nowadays."

"Wow, looks like the grass is green on both sides of the fence this time, eh?"

"I'll probably hatch enough eggs to fill your entire room."

There was a pregnant pause. "Are you saying that you're going to flood my room with your bugs?"

"Did I?"

The thought of finding remnants of tiny insects in everything she used from clothes to utensils sent a shiver down the girl's spine. A corner of her eye twitched. A hand quickly shot out to grab the bowl, and within five minutes, it was clean.

"Fuck. I think I'm going into a sugar coma…" Kyuushoneko dropped back onto her bed, head hitting the pillow as she closed her eyes, and in seconds, a gentle rhythm of breathing could be heard.

Shino stood up from the chair, shoving his hands into his pockets. Underneath his collar, he hid a satisfied smirk. "We should take our leave, now."

And that day, Kiba swore that Kyuushoneko gained more respect for the shady Aburame, and that he had definitely instilled some fear in her, for the next time they trained, she paid more attention to Shino's teachings.

* * *

><p>Filler-y fluff chapters are my favourite to write. I loved Shino in this one, heh. Anyways, let me know how you liked it!<p>

Luv,

Pichuzilla


	8. Easy

I'd like to thank all of my readers for your support! I do hope this story will get more exposure as I continue writing it, as obviously that is the goal, but I'm pretty happy with the small following I have, because you're all just so wonderful. c:

Disclaimer: Nope. I don't own Naruto or any of the characters you recognize here. All of that belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. I only own the ones that do not appear on Naru Wiki, and of course, the plot used in this fanfiction.

This story will probably veer off the course of the actual Naruto story, but that's to be expected, since this is a fanfiction, after all.

Warning: Coarse language.

* * *

><p>"No more, please. I think I'm going to throw up."<p>

"Good. That's what I like to hear."

"Fuck you, bitch."

"Right back at you, dumbfuck."

Too tired to come up with another verbal arrow, Kyuushoneko decided to settle for a dirty look aimed at the Inuzuka standing in front of her as she leaned against the padded tree stump. It was a taijutsu session with the Inuzuka today, and he had decided to make the girl practice kicks until she was dizzy. Shino had gone off on a mission with a couple of other Aburame shinobi — an internal Aburame affair, perhaps? — and Hinata had to attend a Hyuuga clan meeting, so she had only joined them for the morning session to train the genin in ninjutsu before she had taken her leave at noon.

Kiba made a low growling sound within his throat. It had been ages since his last mission with his team, and he was beginning to get restless. And it showed in his training sessions with his charge, too. Civil conversations became shorter, and pointless verbal spats became more commonplace. It didn't help that Kyuushoneko's patience seemed to be wearing thin, too. It had come to a point where they skipped greetings and went straight into a yelling match, set off by a nasty look from one of them, which was being misinterpreted by the other as hostility.

"Good grief, when do the two of you ever not fight?"

The pair broke away from the stalemate of the glaring match and looked up to see Kurenai standing in front of them, hand on one hip with an expectant expression on her face. "Well?" she raised an eyebrow.

"Kiba's just throwing a tantrum because everyone's doing missions while he's stuck back in Konoha,"

"That's because I have to fucking babysit you!"

Shaking her head, Kurenai raised a hand to silence them. "If you're going to keep arguing, I'm not giving this mission to you."

A pair of surprised expressions was directed at her. "What?" they echoed simultaneously, before glaring at each other again.

"A pair of bandits have been spotted down the southwestern exit of the village border. They're not too dangerous, so I thought I could send the both of you to dispose of them, since Kyuushoneko hasn't been on a mission before, and I know for a fact that you're itching for one as well, Kiba."

A sudden grin formed on the Inuzuka's face. "When do we leave?"

"Right now, actually. It's just the matter of getting in, doing the job, and getting out. Think you can handle it without fighting each other?"

"A three-man cell for a pair of bandits? That's easy," Kiba patted an enthusiastic Akamaru, "Right, Akamaru?"

"A basic platoon," Kyuushoneko corrected as she stood up, "Kinmaru counts, too."

"Oh, right," Kiba had come to begrudgingly accept the fact that the calico was, in fact, Kyuushoneko's partner, and cowardly or not, he was still counted as a proper shinobi that was allowed on missions. "Fine, the maneki can come too."

"Did I fucking ask you for permission?"

"No fighting," Kurenai warned as Kiba was about to bite back with a reply.

The two sullen teenagers glared at each other, and the jounin sighed. "They're rogue ninja, and have escaped with some scrolls from the West Library. It's imperative you get these scrolls back, so remember to pick those up when you defeat them. Mission starts as soon as you make the preparations. Let me know when you get back,"

xxxx

"Kuchiyose no jutsu!"

A black-inked seal spread out on the soft earthen ground; the intricate designs unfurling over the dirt before disappearing in a puff of smoke. Where the seal had been was now where a sleek calico stood. "You called, Kyuusho?" he meowed languidly, licking a paw before swiping it over his face, "What's up?"

His partner jammed a thumb in the direction where Kiba and Akamaru stood waiting. "We're going on a mission right now! We have to retrieve some scrolls from some bandits. You in?"

The feline seemed to mull over this as he padded towards the genin. "Alright," he bounded onto her shoulder in one fluid motion, "It's not dangerous, is it?"

"Nope! It's a retrieval mission. Kurenai-sensei said that it shouldn't be too difficult."

xxxx

Leaves rustled gently as a group of figures brushed past the tree canopies swiftly. There was a tapping sound of a foot landing on a branch as someone stopped.

"Sh."

More tapping sounds could be heard as the other figures stopped moving.

Kiba sniffed the air — there was a scent that he did not recognise, and it stood out against the earthy aroma of the forest surrounding him. He could smell traces of a storm — definitely a foreign one, since it was far from being the rainy season in Konohagakure. The enemy had probably travelled from a stormy region, and was close by.

"I can't believe we actually made it out without being caught! I thought for sure they would send someone to retrieve the scrolls!"

An unfamiliar voice caught Kyuushoneko's attention, and she waved at the Inuzuka to alert him to the sound of voices beneath where they stayed hidden amongst the trees.

"Heh, they're probably too overconfident about their security and thought we couldn't breach it. That's a hidden village for you, I guess, always cocky."

Both shinobi carefully crouched and found a sliver of space to spy through the leaves, and saw a pair of men with katanas strapped to their backs. A pair of scarlet scrolls were carelessly sticking out of one of the bandit's pouches, and a nod from Kiba allowed Kyuushoneko to know that the men were definitely their targets.

Kyuushoneko launched across the air and onto the branch next to the chuunin. "What's the plan?" she whispered.

"There's two of them and four of us. I reckon that we can take them on, two to one," Kiba pulled back from the spy-hole, "We have the advantage here, since they have no idea we're here. A speedy pre-emptive strike won't leave any chances for them to defend themselves, and we'll be done with them within minutes."

"Who's taking on who?"

"Akamaru and I will take care of beefcake over there," he jammed a thumb at the more muscular of the two, "You and maneki take care of the scrawny one. Find a way to take those scrolls if you think you can't knock him out, and I'll take care of him once I'm done with mine."

A long tail flicked back and forth nervously as Kinmaru meowed, "This is actually the first time I've been in actual combat. I-I don't think I'm ready."

Kiba resisted the urge to roll his eyes. This was exactly why he disliked cats — they were constantly changing their minds and were far from being trustworthy. Kyuushoneko dragged a soothing hand over the calico's back. "Don't worry, Kinmaru. You've trained a lot and I'll be by your side, okay?"

Kiba shifted impatiently. "Can we please go ahead now, before they get further away?"

"Fine, fine," Kyuushoneko jumped over to the next tree, and Kinmaru followed suit.

"Ready?"

"Yup."

"Go!"

The entire platoon launched themselves into the forest clearing, each individual aiming for their own target. Kyuushoneko and Kinmaru landed in front of the smaller bandit, and managed to trip him up with a low sweeping kick. The scrolls were sent flying across the clearing, and into the forest, and both Kyuushoneko and Kinmaru ran after it.

Kiba had engaged in combat with his target. A powerful arm was thrust in the shinobi's direction, but he was faster, and managed to jump up before it connected with his face. "Giju Ninpo: Shikyaku no Jutsu!" A blue aura surrounded the Inuzuka as a wisps of chakra enveloped his body, and nails elongated into claws while his canines tapered even further. Digging his claws into the bandit's back, Kiba managed to jump up before the other arm could deal another blow.

"Tsuga!" Using a tree trunk as a platform, he propelled himself into a high-speed rotation, and tunnelled into his opponent, sending him flying towards where Akamaru waited. Without allowing him to land, the canine charged at the helpless man with a ferocious bark, ramming into him, and he fell back onto the ground with a heavy thud.

He didn't move again.

Kiba walked up to the unconscious bandit. It was as easy as Kurenai had said it would be. One down, one to go.

Looking around, he realised that the other bandit was nowhere to be found. Where exactly was Kyuushoneko and her opponent? He bit his lip. He hoped that they weren't having too much of a hard time.

xxxx

"And where do you think you're going with that?"

Kyuushoneko froze, her grip on the scrolls tightening as she realised that she had been cornered. Kinmaru hissed at the bandit, hackles raised and claws unsheathed.

"What, they sent a little girl and her pet cat? How cute," the man snorted as he advanced towards the genin and her partner, "Now, hand those scrolls over and I might consider letting you go alive."

"No fucking way. Go fuck yourself, bitch," the girl spat at him, earning a raised eyebrow from her opponent.

"Oh? Little girl has a foul mouth," he narrowed his eyes, "I should take care of that."

Before she could react, the rogue ninja lunged at her with a punch. Shoving the scrolls into her own pouch, she ducked his fist and attempted a front kick, which failed as the man caught her leg, and pulled it, dragging her down and onto her back.

Kinmaru snarled and launched himself at the bandit, claws outstretched, and clung to his face. The man screamed in agony as sharp claws dug themselves into his flesh, drawing out blood. Kinmaru opened his jaw and sank his teeth into the man's forehead, and with an ear-piercing scream, he wrenched the feline off with great difficulty, leaving trails of deep, bleeding claw marks down both sides of his face. He hurled the cat to the side roughly, and Kinmaru yowled as he crashed into ground.

Kyuushoneko struggled to get up, and ran at the bandit, throwing kunais at him in succession. He deflected them with the katana he had drawn from the scabbard on his back, and swung the blade at the genin. She ducked it, and aimed a roundhouse kick, which he countered with a palm block.

"You know what I find funny, brat?" the bandit heaved, spitting out the blood that had accumulated in his mouth from Kinmaru's claw marks, "It's how you only know how to duck and kick."

Unable to mask the fear on her face, the rogue ninja grinned as he realised he had found the girl's weak spot: her arms. With a cry, he swung the blunt end of the sword at the girl's body, which she blocked with her arms.

A pained scream from her sounded like music to his ears.

xxxx

"Fuck!" Kiba swore loudly as he ran towards where the high-pitched scream had come from. His heart rammed loudly against his ribcage as the adrenalin coursed through his veins, and at the thought of the bandit having figured out what Kyuushoneko's weakness was.

He reached a darkened clearing, and his heart dropped — his worst fears had come true. The genin was backed up against a tree, while the bandit continued dealing blows to her arms with the blunt edge of his katana. Kinmaru laid in a crumpled heap on the ground, out cold and unable to help his summoner. The sight of the tears streaming messily down Kyuushoneko's face as she endured yet another painful blow to her arms sent the Inuzuka over the edge.

Red misted over his eyes, and with a feral growl, he charged on all fours at the enemy.

"ARGH!"

xxxx

It was over.

Kiba breathed heavily as he stared down at the ground, where the man laid in a crimson pool, with blood gushing relentlessly out of a massive tear in his throat. His lifeless eyes were wide open, staring blankly into the distance as the pallor of his face became increasingly pallid as the life was drained out of his body. Looking up, he could see that Kyuushoneko's legs had given away beneath her, and she was slumped against a tree as streams of tears continued running down her cheeks. Her golden eyes were blank — she was in shock. He stepped towards her, reaching a hand towards her to help her up. A shard of pain stabbed him when she flinched away from his hand. He drew back.

A moment of silence and inactivity took over as Kiba simply stood where he was, staring at the frightened girl. Her soft sobs echoed throughout the quiet forest, and Akamaru whimpered softly as he padded over to the girl, pushing his snout against her shoulder gently.

Kiba wiped the back of his hand against his mouth, and pulled his hand away to see it stained with the blood of the dead man behind him. Rubbing a hand over his throat, he could feel the wetness of more blood that had dripped down his neck. A sense of dread washed over him — no wonder Kyuushoneko was terrified of him. She wasn't in shock from the pain - she was in shock from watching him kill the rogue ninja without any compassion or mercy.

What had he done? This had not been the mission at all. It had been a simple retrieval task. How had it ended up like this? It wasn't supposed to be hard. That's what Kurenai had told them. That's what he had thought. That's what he had believed.

Easy.

* * *

><p>BAM! A drama-filled chapter! I found this one hard to write, and tried my very best to let the fight scenes flow properly. But I'm rather inexperienced in them, so ha ha ha... Anyways, I hope you liked it!<p>

Luv,

Pichuzilla


	9. Aftermath

Disclaimer: Nope. I don't own Naruto or any of the characters you recognize here. All of that belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. I only own the ones that do not appear on Naru Wiki, and of course, the plot used in this fanfiction.

This story will probably veer off the course of the actual Naruto story, but that's to be expected, since this is a fanfiction, after all.

Warning: Coarse language.

* * *

><p>"Ah man, Suzuko's kid..."<p>

There was very little that could frazzle someone who was as detached as Gemma Shiranui was, but the boisterous genin that prided herself in being Inuzuka Hana's apprentice was unfortunately part of that very little circle. He had known her mother before - she had been a tokubetsu jounin with a talent for the sword. Kyuushoneko, he had come to know around a time shortly before Akemi Suzuko's untimely demise, though he could never remember her ridiculous name. He had heard the genin's name being uttered out of exasperated chuunin teachers' mouths before, but only finally remembered it after watching her solemnly carry his former comrade's portrait down the funeral procession.

Kyuushoneko very rarely involved herself with other people after her mother's death, but for some reason, she just would not leave Genma alone. He suspected it was probably because he had dated her mother for a time when they were younger before Kyuushoneko had been in the picture, and he had to admit to flirting with her - Suzuko - when Kyuushoneko had been younger.

"Oh! I see it's grown a little bit since the last time I saw you. Been watering it, have you?" She was referring to the senbon he usually had clamped between his teeth.

Pulling out the stick, he raised an eyebrow at her. "I see you haven't changed one bit despite what everyone's been saying."

"You do realize that you're wearing the forehead protector wrongly, right?"

"As are you."

"It's protecting my neck."

"It's protecting the back of my head."

"A small part of it, anyway."

He sighed. He never could quite win at these small arguments. "What do you want?"

"Do you happen to need a genin to run errands for you? And by errands I mean a lot of errands."

Genma narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "And why are you asking me this?"

As far as he knew, Asuma had mentioned that Kurenai had taken in the girl into her team, and given her subordinates the responsibility of looking after the genin's training. So that meant that she didn't quite have the freedom to be asking around for odd jobs.

"Money's gotta come from somewhere, genius."

"That's bullshit."

He eyed the slings that her arms were in. "Besides, you're basically useless with those arms. Shouldn't you be resting while they heal?"

"Nothing a week's worth of chakra therapy can't help." Kyuushoneko sniffed, "Besides, what have you got to lose anyway?"

"A lot. You're a demon child."

"A demon child that needs money to survive," A wicked grin crossed her face, "You can't possibly mean that you would let an innocent child die on the streets just because you thought she was a demon?"

Genma sighed - he had to give in. He hated to admit it, but he had a soft spot for orphaned shinobi kids like Kyuushoneko and Naruto. "Are you up for cleaning?"

Kyuushoneko perked up. She knew exactly what he meant by that. Cleaning was a nickname for the job that none of the shinobi enjoyed, which involved the cleaning of the various cages used to house the hundreds of messenger birds that Konohagakure used. It was tedious and a boring chore, but someone had to do it. No one actually wanted to spend their entire life doing the cleaning, so they had a roster which rotated the entire roster of active shinobi, which meant they did the job only a few times a year.

But Genma knew that the genin, for some twisted reason, loved it. Whether it was simply because she liked animals or she just relished in the feeling of the older shinobi living in constant fear of the probability of her messing up what was meant to be their responsibility, he didn't know. He certainly wouldn't ask, too. "Why didn't you just go to the aviary to volunteer to replace people on the cleaning duty?" Genma asked.

"Cuz they're not fond of me."

"Gee, I wonder why."

"Put in a good word for me?"

Sigh. "Fine."

"You're a true buddy."

"I am anything but your buddy."

"An absolute gem."

"Please."

xxxx

As he stared up at the ceiling of his dimly-lit room, Kiba had to wonder, what on earth had possessed him to do what he had done?

A tentative knock sounded at his door. Sighing, Kiba made no move to get off his bed. "Come in."

The wooden door creaked open; bright light from the hallway flooded into the darkened room. Akamaru lifted its head from where it had been resting on its master's legs, barking at the backlit figure filling the doorway.

"What do you want, Hana?"

Even without taking a look, he could already smell his sister's familiar scent from where he lay. He could hear an exaggerated sigh from the vet, and the shuffling of purposeful footsteps as she stepped inside his room and crossed the floor over to where his bed was.

"Get up."

Grumbling, the brunette reluctantly pulled himself up to a sitting position. Meeting his sister's stern gaze, he knew he was in for yet another lecture.

"It's been a week. Get over it."

"Get over what? I didn't realize there was anything to get over."

"Don't play dumb with me. You know exactly what I'm talking about."

"Do I?"

"These things happen. Newsflash: in a shinobi's work, there is no such thing as never killing someone in the line of duty. Especially if he is an enemy."

Kiba looked away. It wasn't as if he felt guilty about killing the man. He knew it was perfectly conceivable.

_xxFlashbackxx_

Kyuushoneko's sobs echoed throughout the forest, and with the severely injured Kinmaru's summoning time having run out, he had unwillingly gone back to Matatabi Mori, leaving the Inuzuka alone with the shell-shocked genin.

He reached a hand towards her. "Kyuu-"

He stopped when she visibly flinched. "Kyuushoneko. Please. Don't do this to me."

xxxx

"She hates me. She thinks I'm a monster."

Kiba's quiet admittance of his inner thoughts was met with stunned silence. Looking up, he could see that Hana had responded to his words with bewilderment. A few seconds ticked by before she blinked, recomposing herself.

"She?"

Kiba flopped back onto the bed again. "Kyuushoneko."

He could already imagine the surprise on his sister's face. He didn't blame her. After all, it was common knowledge that he and the genin did not have a harmonious relationship, so to speak. They were like live firecrackers in each other's presence, one setting the other off without the intention to do so.

"What makes you think that?"

Kiba sighed, and grimaced when he replayed Kyuushoneko flinching away from his hand when he had offered a hand to help her up. "She refused to touch me. You should've seen the look on her face, Hana. She was horrified. I mauled the man to death, like a savage, and I wasn't even supposed to."

Lines appeared on the jounin's forehead as she frowned at her brother's words. "Is that so?"

"Let me ask you this: did she or did she not ask for me to be kept out of her sight for the time being?"

"Well, it is true that she requested for complete privacy while she recuperates..."

"And there you go."

"... You do realize she didn't explicitly state that she didn't want to see you, right? All she asked for was time alone while her arms heal."

Kiba shrugged. "It's good as saying that. You know what she's like."

Hana rolled her eyes. There was nothing she could do here any longer. For now, anyway. Turning around, she headed for the door. Her hand paused on the doorknob, as she turned to say, "Sometimes, it's better to ask rather than to assume."

And with a quiet click of the door closing behind her, she was gone. The chuunin ran his hands frustratedly through his tousled hair, grinding his teeth as he, for the four-hundred-and-sixty-third time that day, replayed the memory of Kyuushoneko's face and response to having watched him brutally kill a man.

xxxx

It was a relatively quiet day, with the early morning keen of the summer crickets chirping in the dusky light of pre-dawn. The air was studded with the dulcet tones of doves and pigeons chirping wildly as footsteps could be heard getting closer to the darkened aviary that the birds were housed in.

"Morning!"

The wooden door was thrown open with a grand flourish as a copper-haired girl practically bounced in, arms balancing plastic sacks against either side of her hips. Kyuushoneko dropped the sacks onto the ground, and pushed open the wooden shutters of the window, and the cold morning air rushed inside.

It had been a week since she had asked Genma for the favour. He had, like always, not failed to fulfil her request. As she set about pulling out the trays from beneath the cages and stacking them so she could hose them down later, Kyuushoneko made a mental note to hold her tongue the next time she saw the jounin with a woman. The poor man deserved it, if anything. (Usually she would say something that scandalized the woman into never wanting to see the poor jounin ever again. Ah, fun times.)

An hour into the cleaning chore, Kyuushoneko was absentmindedly flinging dead rats into the raptors' cages. As the predatory birds hungrily snapped up the carcass, the splash of blood that stained the tray beneath their massive cages reminded Kyuushoneko of the very thing she had tried so hard to put out of her mind for the past three weeks.

She had never seen anyone so angry before. If she was being honest, the display of Kiba's anger that terrified her. That was the truth. She knew she was a coward, but she admitted to that fault and that way, no one could hold it against her. Not even herself.

But three weeks had passed, and she still could not find the resolve or courage she needed to face the man who had undoubtedly saved her life.

Her champagne eyes dropped to the wrappings bound around the length of her forearms. The fifth Hokage's voice was still clear in her head, ringing with clarity that did not match the faith Kyuushoneko had in people. It wasn't personal, she had told Tsunade, she was just a natural misanthrope.

When the sun was finally fully risen, the air had warmed into a sticky, humid heat that the Konohagakure villagers were accustomed to. It was only when the first sentries started to arrive that Kyuushoneko decided she was done for the day. She would be back later to refill the feeding trays, she decided, as she left the door open behind her.

"Kyuusho...ne-ko...?"

The sound of the familiar baritone froze her steps. She looked up to meet a pair of bewildered eyes of mocha. He looked a whole sight different from the last time she had seen him, that was for sure. Beside him, the chocolate and cream coated canine barked happily, ignorant to the tension between his master and friend.

She didn't know how to react. So she did the one thing she always did when she felt cornered.

She ran.

* * *

><p>I hit a pretty massive writer's block with this one, I won't lie. I found it hard to write out this chapter, and kept deleting every draft I came up with. So, I put it in the back burner and came back to it when I could finally write something that I was happy with. I hope you liked this one as well! Let me know how you liked it. Reviews are always appreciated! c:<p>

Love,

Pichuzilla


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